A Beginner’s Guide to Playing for Germany

May 28, 2009

If you’re a talented but impetuous striker, guilty of slapping your own captain, you can play for Joachim Loew’s Germany but you best be careful.

And if you’re born in Brazil or playing for a side relegated from the English Premiership, you will make the cut as well.

Unfortunately, if you’re a 39-year old goalkeeper with 61 caps already, you’re out of luck.

Germany have arrived in the Far East ahead of a game tomorrow (29/5) against China and one next Tuesday (2/6) against United Arab Emirates and Lukas Podolski made the trip despite an on-field bust-up with Michael Ballack in Germany’s last outing against Wales.

He is joined by VfB Stuttgart’s Cacau, recently granted German citizenship and Middlesbrough’s Robert Huth, who faces the prospect of Championship football next season unless he can secure a transfer away from the Riverside.

But Jens Lehman, enjoying a final swansong with Stuttgart in the Bundesliga, was not included in the 18-man squad and has been told that his international future is decidedly gloomy.

Coach Joachim Loew showed his harsh side when selecting his squad by reserving some stinging words for Bayern Munich striker Podolski.

In April, during a routine 2-0 win over Wales in Cardiff, Podolski brought an argument with Ballack to a quick conclusion by slapping his teammate’s face.

Though he escaped further censure from the German Football Association (DFB) at the time, Loew has now made it clear that any repeat behaviour would mark the end of Podolski’s international career.

“What he did in Cardiff has exhausted all his credit,” said Loew.

Such threats would be easy to make were Podolski a mere fringe player within the Germany set-up, but his record of over a goal every other game demonstrates his importance to their chances at the next World Cup.

A quick look at the fate of Kevin Kuranyi shows that Loew is clearly not bluffing.

Kuranyi walked out of Germany’s qualifier against Russia last October after failing to make the subs bench, prompting Loew to ban him from future selection and he looks unlikely to change his mind.

Loew said: “”I am sticking by my promise that there is no way back for Kevin while I am in charge.” That does open the door for other candidates though, such as Stuttgart’s Cacau. In a career which has taken him from Sao Paulo to the German fifth division and onto his current home in 2003, Cacau could now don the jersey of his adopted country for the first time in either of the upcoming matches.

Robert Huth is also back in favour, despite not featuring in a national squad since the last World Cup and a miserable season of club football. His Middlesbrough side were confined to the second tier of English football after losing 2-1 to West Ham last Sunday.

There will not be a similarly lucky reprieve for Jens Lehman though. Lehman retired from international football following Germany’s Euro 2008 exit but had hinted he would like to make a return to the international fold. But Loew showed that sentiment will not guide his decisions as he prefers to focus on Germany’s emerging young goalkeepers. “We have four goalkeepers who we are counting on: Rene Adler, Robert Enke, Tim Wiese and Manuel Neuer,” said Loew. “They all have enough quality that we don’t see any reason to make changes. Jens Lehmann is not an issue.” There are clearly no second chances under Joachim Loew. A few of his current players may now be taking notice. Alistair Kleebauer - May 28th, 2009.