Well shit. That was a perfectly miserable end to one of the most wretched years most of us semi-evolved simians have ever experienced. So much for the normal trajectory toward optimistic support of the national team. Looks like another trend gets bucked in this year of endless shattered norms. Germans won't gravitating toward the side of the "Schwarz und Weiß" anytime soon. If anything, we stand grateful that we can completely forget about them for four full months. Despite all of the yacking about a "historic defeat", one actually doesn't have to reach back a full century or more to locate parallels. The languid performances in the lead-up to the 2006 World Cup engendered similar … [Read more...] about Nationalelf Tactical Focus–“Eyes wide shut”
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Nationalelf Tactical Focus–“A Typical Teutonic Crawl”
The boos rained down in Köln. Actually, wait a minute. Nevermind. No they didn't. Nary a soul sat in the RheinEnergieStadion bleachers. Any and all perceived hisses and hecklers stemmed from one's own psychosomatic imagination; not unlike the "phantom phone vibration" that pesters one's leg in the midst of a dream staff meeting. Sigh. Blame COVID. Blame the dubious identity of the newly formed nations league. Take it further and blame Joachim Löw's back-woods mullet, grim wrinkled face, and sudden capitulation to the "Bob Bradley at Swansea City Turtleneck Wardrobe Collection" if you wish. Irrespective of what one choses to blame, the negative attention the current version of Germany's … [Read more...] about Nationalelf Tactical Focus–“A Typical Teutonic Crawl”