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Germany triumphed over Argentina 1-0 in the final of the FIFA World Cup 2014 to be crowned World Champions for the fourth time in history. This win came after a huge gap of twenty four years for Die Mannschaft. They were deserving winners, having been the most consistent team throughout the tornament.
The game was typical of a final. Both teams were cautious not to make any mistakes, which meant that clear cut chances came at a premium. Here's a tactical review of the game:
The line-ups
Germany's preparations for the game were hampered as midfielder Sami Khedira got injured during the warm up. He was replaced in the line up by Christoph Kramer.
The rest of the German team was as expected. They lined up in a 4-3-3 formation. Philip Lahm and Benedikt Howedes continued at right back and left back respectively. Hummels and Boateng were at the heart of the defence. Kramer slotted in for Khedira as the box-to-box midfielder. Schweinsteiger was the deep lying playmaker while Kroos was the advanced playmaker. Ozil, Muller and Klose formed the three pronged attack where Muller occupied the right wing and Ozil the left, while Klose was up top.
Argentina made no changes from their previous game against The Netherlands. Di Maria and Aguero were still not fully fit, they were on the bench. They lined up in their now standard 4-2-3-1, which became a 4-4-1-1 while defending. Zabaleta and Marcos Rojo were the fullbacks. Demichelis and Garay lined up at the centre of defence. Mascherano and Biglia were the two midfielders while Lavezzi and Enzo Perez lined up on the left and right flanks respectively. Messi was the number 10 and Higuain was up top.
Pattern of Play
The approaches of both the teams were contrasting. Germany aimed to move higher up the pitch and press while Argentina were content to sit back, absorb pressure, and play on the counter attack.
Germany were regularly having a lot of the ball but it was Argentina who threatened to open the scoring. Higuain scuffed an easy chance to score off a disastrous back header by Kroos. He was clean through on goal and had a lot of time to take aim, but was too eager and showed no confidence. Moments later he turned an excellent cross by Lavezzi behind the defence into the goal neatly, only for the goal to be ruled for offside. Argentina were to rue these misses later in the game.
Both teams found their right flank very fruitful. Germany played crossfield balls to Lahm who regularly found space. Muller was at his usual best, sometimes cutting in and taking on the left back Rojo successfully or staying wide to stretch play and provide width. Lahm and Muller showed great understanding as to how to provide space for each other. Argentina too conjured up a chance or two from their right flank. On one such counter attack, Messi drifted wide right and beat Hummels easily for pace to provide a cutback but there was no one at hand to capitalize.
The second half had a more settled look to it with a slower tempo. There were chances for both teams. Argentina started the brighter of the two teams for the first ten minutes of the second half. But Germany slowly clawed back. Messi had a great chance to score but turned his shot just past the far past. Schurrle also had a good chance but couldn't control the ball.
Schurrle provided pace, thrust and width down the left hand side. The most meaningful German attacks flowed through him and he tellingly provided the assist for the winner. Ozil had one of his better games of the tournament. He played narrower than usual and was involved in some neat passes and link up play. Kroos had a subdued game by his standards in this tournament as his shooting was wayward, and his passing errant.
Substitutions changed the game
Argentina made a strange change at half time as Aguero replaced Lavezzi. Lavezzi was lively and had a good first half. Aguero's fitness (or lack of it) and the fact that the game might have gone to extra time meant that this change was quite bizarre. Once he came on, Higuain moved out to the right and Aguero took his place up top. But Higuain regularly cut in from the right. This meant that the width on the right was taken away and Howedes who was regularly under pressure in the first half, breathed a sigh of relief.
Germany were forced into a change on the half hour mark itself as Kramer left the pitch following an elbow to the head. Schurrle replaced him and moved to the left flank. Ozil moved central and played as the number 10 while Kroos moved back to accompany Schweinsteiger in the centre of midfield. Though an enforced change, it worked well for Germany as both Ozil and Schurrle had a good impact from their respective positions.
The other changes from both the sides came quite late into the game but were decisive. Gotze came onto replace a tiring Klose while Palacio replaced Higuain who was ineffective. Gotze initially looked like a straight swap for Klose as he played furthest forward, but later it was Muller who took up that position. Palacio meanwhile, played on the right. The game's two best chances fell to these two men. While Palacio's touch evaded him and he shot wide, Gotze displayed great ball control and good finishing to fire home for Germany.
Mertesacker replaced Ozil at the 120 minute mark to see out added time and he did his job. Gago replaced Enzo Perez and slotted into midfield.
Star Man
The star of the match was Bastian Schweinsteiger. He was all over the pitch and made more passes than any player. He also made a couple of key interceptions and performed his defensive duties quite well. He picked up Messi and defended very well against him. His tenacity and courage typefied the Germans’ refusal to stop looking for the decisive goal during the match.
Conclusion
As is the case with most of these big games, the game was decided by fine margins. The two teams stacked up quite well against each other and there was not much to choose between them. But Germany had a certain cohesion and team work which wasn't the case with Argentina. Messi had the full responsibility to create and he looked jaded as the game went on. Aguero may have been semi fit, while Higuain was not upto the mark. But Germany were quality through and through. When Kroos wasn't at his best, Scheweinsteiger stepped up. When Hummels made an error, Boateng covered for him. Teamwork at its best!
Eventually though, it was the quality of depth that decided this tense final. Palacio and Gotze had equally good chances. Palacio didn't look confident and scuffed his shot while Gotze etched his name in History.This world cup win was coming for Germany, everyone could sense it. The quality has been there. All they needed was that spirit and confidence to win big games and overcome pressure situations. And Gotze showed those very qualities.
It was pure joy and ecstasy for Germany. They set high standards for themselves and this time they matched up to it. Argentina were gloomy and despondent, and understandably so. The chance to win a World Cup comes once in a life time. And when you lose it at the last possible hurdle, regret is all you're going to be filled with. They can leave with their heads held high and reputations enhanced though. The debate about whether Messi deserved the Golden ball rages on. But he deserved great credit for dragging an average team through to the final with his performances and guts under pressure. A World Cup win or no win is no blot on his legacy. He is already a legend.
The World cup was a treat for all football fans with many memorable moments. It will be missed. It’s end also means that there’s no competitive football for a month before club football takes over. Scary thought isn't it? Chew on that. You can take a look at the transfers and rumours section for some respite. See you on the other side of the month.
