PLAYING TO OUR STRENGTH:

Team Focus: Germany's Adaptation of the 'False 9' Can Steer Them to Glory (Ben McAleer, Jun 21 2014, Who Scored?)

Löw instead used Bayern Munich’s Thomas Müller as the focal point in attack and despite having featured as a striker 8 times for Bayern last season, this is perhaps not his best position. Müller is best suited in the number 10 role, or out on the wing to cut inside and go for goal, but was flanked by Mario Götze and Mesut Özil against Portugal.

While it may not be an exact blueprint of the ‘false 9’ system Vicente Del Bosque deployed at Euro 2012, Germany’s approach still bears a striking resemblance to the Spain of two years ago. In Monday's win, Philipp Lahm and Sami Khedira operated as the two deepest-lying midfielders, similar to Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets in Poland and Ukraine, while Toni Kroos played the "Xavi role".

With no player attempting more passes (79) than Lahm and only Kroos (96.2%) enjoying a better pass success of every Germany outfielder than his Bayern teammate (93.7%) in the win over Portugal, Lahm is capable of matching the exploits of Alonso and Busquets 2 years ago. However, question marks remain over Khedira’s role in the team. The midfielder missed a substantial chunk of the season with a cruciate ligament injury and though he did not put a foot wrong in the win over Portugal, Bastian Schweinsteiger’s expected return may be well timed.

Schweinsteiger may not be a destroyer in the same vain as Khedira, but his passing and creative ability from deep renders him one of the finest players in his position, while his reading of the game means he needn’t use a similar approach as Khedira to break up play. Alongside Lahm, the duo can replicate Alonso and Busquets’ midfield threat from 2012 and with Kroos deployed alongside his Bayern teammates, the trio can pick apart any side on their day.

In defence, Löw opted against using natural full-backs in their Group G opener, instead deploying Benedikt Höwedes and Jerome Boateng at left and right-back respectively. The pairing made just 4 starts between them in the league and Europe last season at full-back, so the decision to field the duo either side of Mats Hummels and Per Mertesacker can be considered an unorthodox one.



This is pretty much ideal for the USMNT's formation.  With the two defensive midfielders clogging the middle you spoil the false 9 formation--as witness Mourhino's success against Barcelona.  And with Zusi and Bedoya and Johnson and Beasley on the wings you put pressure on defenders playing out of position.  We won't need to beat Germany to move on, but we can.