Özil, Marin, Kroos - but not forget about Gebhart

Özil wrote:we won 3 youth tournaments, that are at least 33 players i could hype, but i hype only 3-5 players, so they kids look special to me

there are also

kedhira
hummels
neuer
beck
boateng
höwedes
etc etc etc

very important players for the future, but my personal nature prefers midfielders to hype


the englands have lennon, wilshire, walcott, have i forgotten a big talent !!

Yes. All you've done is named some hyped up players at media darling clubs. Unbelievably there is a world outside the top 4 and Spurs.

Well at least he had the main one, steady improvement

Spider Crouch wrote:I'll look forward to seeing more of the next successors to the Podolski/Schweinsteiger/Gomez/Odonker hype

Odonkor hype? Name and shame them.

He's the German Theo Walcott.

kroesius wrote:

Spider Crouch wrote:
I'll look forward to seeing more of the next successors to the Podolski/Schweinsteiger/Gomez/Odonker hype

All of them were (semi)-finalists of the last two major tournaments.
So, there is no hype without a reason. And the young players coming up now are even better.

Well, sounds like you've got the next couple of World Cups and European Championships nailed on then.

I'll treat anything other as a MAJOR disappointment for the great nation of Deutschland

Olé wrote:

Spider Crouch wrote:I'll look forward to seeing more of the next successors to the Podolski/Schweinsteiger/Gomez/Odonker hype

Odonkor hype? Name and shame them.

He's the German Theo Walcott.

odonkonr hype!!

never realized there was a hpye, at least not from me

he had 2 great games for germany as sub, against poland and argentina, without him klose wouldn`t have scored the goal against the argies

Özil wrote:

he had 2 great games for germany as sub, against poland and argentina, without him klose wouldn`t have scored the goal against the argies

How is that?

Effenberg wrote:

Özil wrote:

he had 2 great games for germany as sub, against poland and argentina, without him klose wouldn`t have scored the goal against the argies

How is that?

he tackled sorin, so we got the ball, next scene we shoot the goal

Odonkor hype? Nobody 'hyped' Odonkor, his very limited football abilities have always been known to everyone. He is a pace merchant in the purest sense who can add an element of surprise to a team. Nothing more, absolutely nothing more.

He was more of a cult hero than anything, at least for a number of fans. Most fans actually ran amok when Löw called him up for Euro 2008, just ask anglophilehedgehog what she thinks about him...

blutgraetsche wrote:Odonkor hype? Nobody 'hyped' Odonkor, his very limited football abilities have always been known to everyone. He is a pace merchant in the purest sense who can add an element of surprise to a team. Nothing more, absolutely nothing more.

He was more of a cult hero than anything, at least for a number of fans. Most fans actually ran amok when Löw called him up for Euro 2008, just ask anglophilehedgehog what she thinks about him...

Haven't got to see Ozil yet? Is he the real deal then

What are his main strengths and weaknesses?

Have seen only a few games of him, but he's an excellent passer with real creativity and good vision.

Weaknesses? He has none.

kas wrote:Have seen only a few games of him, but he's an excellent passer with real creativity and good vision.

Weaknesses? He has none.

Better than Messi then?

Tweedle wrote:Haven't got to see Ozil yet? Is he the real deal then

What are his main strengths and weaknesses?

Old style playmaker

Good vision, pass, shot and freekick.

Tweedle wrote:

kas wrote:Have seen only a few games of him, but he's an excellent passer with real creativity and good vision.

Weaknesses? He has none.

Better than Messi then?

Of course. As a product of the endless conveyor belt of German talent, he automatically places above Messi in the "best ever" rankings.

I wouldn't call Özil an 'old style' playmaker, he is actually a very modern interpretation of the #10, different to Diego, for example. He has pace, is very skillful and hence not easy to mark out of the game, very mobile. His vision is truely great, he can play through balls with an accuracy and consistency that is remarkable considering his young age. He is very efficient, almost everything that he does on the pitch makes sense for the team. His set pieces are excellent also, especially free-kicks.

His weaknesses are that he needs to add some weight, become more 'robust' (but not too much, at the expense of his pace) and that he needs to become more clinical, score more goals. He also has to improve his defensive game. But, and that's the main reason why I believe that he can become a truly important player one day, what makes him stand out compared to other talents, he has been working on those weaknesses. He already scored as many goals this season than he did in the whole season last year (3 goals in 4 matches), and he has added 2kg of muscles through additional training.

It's his character and mentality that gives him the edge. I hope he continues to handle the pressure so well as he did so far in his young career, having to 'replace' Diego' in Bremen at such a young age. The hype in the press in the last few days was totally over the top (as if h had just started playing football and nobody knew what he can do... ), especially in rags like BILD. Hope he just remains as he is.

Old style playmaker *is* lightweight...

Modern is strong and big.

Axeslammer wrote:Old style playmaker *is* lightweight...

Modern is strong and big.

Old style playmakers weren't as mobile and flexible. He basically is in constant movement, often moves to the wings, can play as a winger if necessary. 'Modern' doesn't have to mean 'strong and big', at least not on that position. Pace and flexibility are far more important.

blutgraetsche wrote:Old style playmakers weren't as mobile and flexible. He basically is in constant movement, often moves to the wings, can play as a winger if necessary. 'Modern' doesn't have to mean 'strong and big', at least not on that position. Pace and flexibility are far more important.

Must say I would never have thought he would become soo good so fast because I wasn't impressed with him at Schalke allthough he was quite young. He is without a doubt Germany's future. How close is he to making the step to the national team?

Super, he already played for the national team. On Saturday against South Africa, he was MOTM in his first match as a starter (third match altogether), scored one goal and initiated the other one. Hence the hype in the press in the last few days, which was way over the top unfortunately.

He has improved considerably ever since he moved to Bremen, he is a far more complete player now than he was when he joined us. His development has been remarkable. Hope Marin will develop similarly.


Re: classical playmaker
Kroos fits into that category, a "lazy genius" type.

Since Rehagel we know that "modern is, who wins", and Barcelona and Spain have won the most important titles in European football with a modern #10 that is hardly "big and strong". And it's not like Özil is a midget, he is 1.82m, that's taller than Puyol!

blutgraetsche wrote:
Re: classical playmaker
Kroos fits into that category, a "lazy genius" type.

Just like your favourite football is not mine, your description of classical playmaker isn't mine either.

Blut,

How long before he moves to the Black hole that is Bayern?

Nothing, not even light - and certainly not even the most fleet footed young German talents - can escape it's clutches.

That is what must be so frustrating about being a fan in the Bundesliga

Bayern will of course be interested in him, but I'm confident that he'll extend his contract and play a few more years in Bremen before he moves. And when he continues like this, not just Bayern will be interested in him. Manchester United have shown interest already.

And let's face it, Bayern have been a talent graveyard indeed, but the same applies to most of the "big clubs", so it's not Bundesliga exclusive. It's up to the players themselves to plan their careers carefully and move to one of those clubs, with their fickle fans, huge media attention and tough competition for starting places, when they are ready.

Just hope he continues to work hard and improve every day, then he'll have a successful career.

Axeslammer wrote:
Just like your favourite football is not mine, your description of classical playmaker isn't mine either.

The traditional #10 played behind the strikers, in the centre of the pitch, dictating the pace of the game and creating chances, letting "others run" instead of running himself. Riquelme is such a player. That is the definition of an "enganche", the classical #10 that is still pretty common in South America.

The problem is that in the modern game, a classical #10 is not allowed enough space and especially time to dictate the game. He can be neutralised realtively easily. And since he is the focal point of the team, the team is basically built around him, neutralising the #10 means considerably weakening the attacking threat.

Özil however is a player who actually runs himself, and he runs a lot, is very mobile. His 'speciality' are those smart runs into the only area that is still a weak spot in the modern defensive organisation (zonal marking), the area between the defence and (defensive) midfield. His pace helps him a lot in this respect. So while he can and usually does dictate the game of his team with his accurate passes, he acts as an attacking forward at the same time, often moving to the wings. As far as his football style is concerned, he is like a hybrid of Iniesta and Xavi.

Classical playmakers don't have this range of movement, they usually remain in the centre most of the time. And that's why Kroos is much more of a classical playmaker than Özil is.

P.S.: What is your definition of a "modern" playmaker then? Who is big and strong and a playmaker at the same time? There are deep lying playmakers who could fit that criteria, but that deeper position is more of a concession to the modern game than anything. Because the area where a classical #10 plays is so congested, moving the playmaker deeper was a compromise, but nothing more. The area between the midfield and defence is the "honeypot", and if the player is pacy and mobile enough to exploit it, he can be more effective, create more clear cut chances than a deeper positioned player.