Völler finding the right blend

As the countdown to UEFA EURO 2004™ gathers pace, uefa.com considers what the coming months might hold for the 16 finalists. Today we look at Germany.

By Manfred Christoph

After the satisfaction of qualifying for Portugal had passed, German thoughts turned back to four years ago. A wretched performance left them last in UEFA EURO 2000™ Group A and the closing 3-0 defeat by Portugal marked a low point for Erich Ribbeck's side. This time round, they may have qualified unbeaten but defeats in 2003 against France, Italy and Spain show there remains room for improvement.

Difficult group
Despite reaching the 2002 FIFA World Cup final it is with a necessary mixture of optimism and realism that Rudi Völler and his team are preparing to face Group D rivals Czech Republic, Latvia and the Netherlands in June. "It was clear that the group including the Netherlands would be the strongest," he said. "But this is no reason to complain as the sides at any EURO are more difficult than in a World Cup. We go to Portugal with confidence."

Formation question
Germany have plenty of options in attack with several talented players in contention for a starting place. Völler's most important decision will probably concern which forwards he selects and in which formation. During their qualifying campaign Germany used both a 3-5-2 system and a more traditional 4-4-2.

Attacking choices
The strikers are expected to be Kevin Kuranyi and the experienced Fredi Bobic. But the coach could also decide to use winger Oliver Neuville or Miroslav Klose, and TSV 1860 München's Benny Lauth has also come into contention.

Accent on youth
Bobic is currently having a hard time with struggling Hertha BSC Berlin but VfB Stuttgart's Kuranyi has gained UEFA Champions League experience this season, and along with club-mate and defender Andreas Hinkel he represents a generation of promising youngsters including Arne Friedrich, Tobias Rau, Paul Freier, Daniel Bierofka, Fabian Ernst, Christian Rahn and Lauth. Völler is certain these players "will improve further" before the summer.

Solid defence
At the back, Christian Wörns remains the linchpin. Frank Baumann is also reliable in the centre and the return of Jens Nowotny has given Völler another option. Hinkel and Friedrich compete on the right while Rau and Rahn are two candidates for the opposite flank.

Midfield director
In midfield, Michael Ballack is Völler's playmaker together with the equally creative Dietmar Hamann, Bernd Schneider and Torsten Frings. Carsten Ramelow acts as the anchor with Sebastian Kehl as back-up. Sebastian Deisler may also come into contention if he can rediscover his mental strength.

Experienced leaders
With captain Oliver Kahn in goal, Germany have an experienced spine of Kahn, Nowotny, Wörns and Bobic. Whether this provides the rest of the group with the necessary maturity will become clearer after the upcoming friendlies against Croatia, Belgium and Romania. But Völler says EURO 2000™ will not be repeated. "We can challenge any opponent and we will put up a good performance," Völler said. "I promise."