auf gut Deutsch: 4-0

Straight and simple Germany's World Cup qualifying continued with a 4-0 devastation of Liechtenstein at the Zentralstadion in Leipzig. After recent disappointing friendlies against Norway and England, Joachim Löw was anxious to silence their critics and today's results Deutschland supporters breathing room over their competition.

Returning to a 4-4-2 formation Herr Löw handed the 'keeping duties to Hannover 96's Robert Enke with Lukas Podolski, soon to be FC Köln's captain, paired with Stuttgart's Mario Gómez up top. Tiny Liechtenstein was plundered for a goal only four minutes after the opening whistle as Bayern München's Bastian Schweinsteiger delicate cross was volleyed into the net by Michael Ballack to volley home, giving die Mannschaft the 1-0 lead. Attacking with a vengeance it was 2-0 as Lukas Podolski's drive was too strong to hand and HSV's Marcell Jansen sent the rebound in only four minutes later. The visitors settled down after the early play and much of the action was within a air-tight midfield of Marcell Jansen, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Michael Ballack and Thomas Hitzlsperger. After the restart, the visitors were quickly victimized for two more goals; first three minutes in as Bastian Schweinsteiger took advantage of a loose ball in point-blank range and only two minutes later Poldi made it 4-0. The back line work of Serdar Tasci, Philip Lahm, 1899 Hoffenheim's Andreas Beck and Werder Bremen's Per Mertesacker was to the letter as Enke's day was disturbed with only a single attempt, that a highly unprobable attempt six minutes before the hour. In the final thirty minutes Borussia Mönchengladbach Marko Marin and Bayer Leverkusen duo of Simon Rolfes and Patrick Helmes were brought-in and although Germany had a number of attempts they could not add to their goal total and the match ended in a 4-0 victor

In a matter-of-fact manner Bastian Schweinsteiger called the result "ok" but expressed disappointment with the inability to add more goals. As Germany heads to Wales on Wednesday they will need to exhibit greater finishing ability and killer instinct for the full three points.

Photo Credit: © DFB und Bongarts/Getty Images

Königsblauen capped for Germany

With Germany set to play Norway next week in Düsseldorf Joachim Löw has selected Königsblauen Heiko Westermann in what will be his tenth appearance for Mannschaft.

Horst Hrubesch selected Manuel Neuer for the U21 sides match against the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday.

Horst Hrubesch calls upon Köln's Taner Yalcin

Germany U19 coach Horst Hrubesch has added Köln's Taner Yalcin to the squad selection. The U19 side faces Greece next Wednesday in Kozani and looks ahead to matches against
Finland and Serbia next month. This leads into the qualifying matches for European Championships in May. This is Taner Yalcin second cap for the U19.

Beck and Jaissle called up by DFB

Proudly 1899 Hoffenheim can note it has two entrants for Germany in next weeks friendly's. Andreas Beck will earn his first cap for die Mannschaft as Joachim Löw has tabbed the defender to debut against Norway next Wednesday when they meet in Düsseldorf. Marvin Compper and Tobias Weis, who played in the November match against England were not called up with 1899 coach Ralf Rangnick saying:

"That is an indication for both of them to work 100 per cent. It just shows that 80 or 90 per cent is not good enough."

Matthias Jaissle earns his first honour for the U21 as Horst Hurbesch has nominated him as they face Republic of Ireland in Cork, Ireland on Tuesday.

In another first Jonas Strifler receives his first call-up for the U19 side as they face Greece in Kozani on February 11.

Other members of the club receiving international assignments are Andreas Ibertsberger for Austria against Sweden in Graz, Boubacar Sanogo for Côte d'Ivoire against Türkey and Isaac Vorsah will play for Ghana against Egypt in Cairo.

Green Whites for Germany

The Green Whites take pride in announcing that Per Mertesacker, Tim Wiese, Torsten Frings and Mesut Özil have selected by Joachim Löw for Germany's international friendly against Norway next Wednesday Düsseldorf.

This is Mesut Özil first cap for the senior squad and after turning down offers to join Turkey he said of his decision:

"I am really happy about the invitation. I want my chance in the German national team. It was not easy for me to make the decision in the last couple weeks because my family and many friends are from Turkey. This is not a decision against my Turkish roots. But my family has lived in Germany for three generations now and I grew up here, always felt welcome, and got my chance here with the junior national teams. I know that it was the right choice. I hope that I can continue my successful way this summer with the U21 national team at the European Championship. But my main goal remains to concentrate on my duties with Werder."

Werkself honoured!

Four members of Werkself have been honoured with a selection die Mannschaft. Joachim Löw has called upon René Adler, Simon Rolfes, Patrick Helmes und Stefan Kießling. Germany will play a friendly agains Norway next Wednesday Düsseldorf.

With Stefan Kießling being selected for his second appearance for Germany, Bruno Labbadia decided to have a bit of funny. Informing him, he said:

"I told him I had some bad news for him as he wouldn’t be able to train with us in Leverkusen next week. It’s a good opportunity for him to show what he can do as only four strikers have been selected for this friendly. It’s good for us that we’ve got another international on our books."

Ashkan Dejagah out of Wolfsburg lineup for extended period

Wolfsburg revealed that Ashkan Dejagah has been hospitalized in Hamburg to undergo treatment for hepatitis A. The twenty-two year old German U21 will naturally be unavailable for an extended period given the severity of the illness.

Manager Felix Magath said of the matter:

"It is very unfortunate and he will be sidelined for a very long time. We wish him the swiftest of recoveries."

It is highly unlikely that he would return during the balance of the campaign and it is safer to assume that if everything goes as planned he will be available for training camp. Extreme caution must be followed with this very serious situation.

Gladbach run to safety begins

There is only one way for Gladbach to go and with the season starting against VfB it is time to start climbing the table.

Manager Hans Meyer said before the match:

"We encountered perfect conditions during the first few days of training in the New Year, as we did in Spain and back in Mönchengladbach. So we'll have no excuses if the Bundesliga restart doesn't go well.

"We still need to get better at pressing the ball when not in possession, but we have created a better foundation for our attacking players. The loss of Dante and Filip Daems to injury has been the only dampener on what have otherwise been good mid-season preparations.

"Unfortunately Dante was restricted to just 55 minutes against Paderborn. Filip, however, won't take long to settle into the team after his lay-off.

Thomas Kleine, Dante and Jean Sébastien Jaurès are all out with injury and will not dress along with Frederic Löhe, Moses Lamidi, Sebastian Schachten, Tony Jantschke and Jan-Ingwer Callsen-Bracker.

VfB will be eager to impress their fans after being butchered by the Bavarians in the Pokal this week, so Gladbach will need to firm up midfield. Schwaben's will miss
Timo Gebhardt and Sebastian Rudy.

I am done with this preview.

It is time now;

SING!

Verse 1
Samstags mittags geht es los, ins Stadion zum Bökelberg.
Im Auto ist die Stimmung groß und alle singen looooos!

Refrain
Ja wir schwören Stein und Bein,
auf die Elf vom Niederrhein,
Borussia unser Dream-Team,
denn Du bist unser Verein!

Verse 2
Die Mannschaft die wird vorgestellt, die Stimmung die ist riesengroß.
Schwappt La-Ola durch das Rund, singt der Block schon los.
Singen wir dann unsere Lieder, dann ist das voll der Hit - Hit - Hit,
und wenn die Stimmung um sich greift, macht auch die Tribüne mit!

Refrain

Verse 3
Spielt Ihr wie zu Netzers Zeiten und fällt dann endlich mal ein Tor.
Sind wir Fans nicht mehr zu halten und schon ertönt der Chor.

Refrain -

Verse 4
Und geht das Spiel auch mal verlor'n, dann macht uns das gar nichts aus,
denn dann fahren wir zum Auswärtsspiel und machen einen drauf!

Refrain -

Green Whites injury report

Looking ahead to the Green Whites match against Karlsruhe SC this Saturday, the club will likely welcome back a trio of Germany internationals Torsten Frings, Tim Wiese and Per Mertesacker. While Mertesacker is still listed as "questionable" although he is confident he will be available stating:

“I will train with the rest of the team again for the final pre-match session and hope then to get the all clear to play against KSC. It’s certainly looking good.”

Mario Gómez out for Energie Cottbus

VfB revealed today that Mario Gómez is out for this weekends Energie Cottbus match with a muscle stain. There is concerned that the German international may not be ready to face the Bavarians the following weeks as well. Serdar Tasci and Mexican capped Pável Pardo both were absent from practice due to injuries but are expected to be fully-fit for the weekend.

BVB injury report for Wolfsburg match

The injury report for BVB against Wolfsburg is a tough one as they will be without Nelson Valdez, Diego Klimowicz and skipper Sebastian Kehl. Effectively this makes the only change in lineup from the Karlsruhe match is the return of Robert Kovač from suspension.

Jürgen Klopp said of the Karlsruhe lineup”

“Although it was almost the same team as in Hamburg, the match in Karlsruhe was clearly a step forward. We were very present especially in the first half.”

Full preview to follow.

Ivica Olić delivers payback

Since joining Hamburger SV from CSKA Moscow, Ivica Olić has become a fan favourite notably for his tough work-ethic and timely production. In the Nord derby today he not only settled the match with a explosive goal to give Hamburg the 2-1 victory but also served up a tidy bit of payback to Tim Wiese for his grievous foul last year.

In front of a sell-out crowd at HSH Nordbank Arena, Hamburg cracked down on the Green Whites painfully inept defensive only six minutes after the opening whistle as Paolo Guerrero jumped on a rebound off Mladen Petrić free-kick. In hindsight it was a tough goal to stomach as Werder could easily be said to have played their most disciplined match of the season and provided Martin Jol's few opportunities. However eighteen minutes later Diego brought the match equal as he struck as his free-kick sailed over the wall and glanced off 'keeper Frank Rost's mitts and into the net. Through the balance of the half, Werder created a number of opportunities but couldn't muster up the final touch. The second half started with both sides on the hunt for goals but final third defending was textbook and advances were thwarted. Finally, out of the blue with sixteen minutes remaining Croatian capped Ivica Olić hammered a drive to the far post from twenty-meters out to bring the crowd to their feet. Looking for the equalizer, Werder went on the attack but Hamburg held strong and turned aside each attempt to hand the visitors a 2-1 defeat.

Werder played a brilliant match and showed elements to their game that we haven't seen in quite some time and in essence the match was decided with a stunning individual effort. While disappointment is only natural it is equally something that can be built upon.

Nord derby

The 89th installment of the great Nord derby promises to be a highly explosive one within the early winter season. With Werder defensive woes, the attacking style of Martin Jol's Hamburg promises to make this a high scoring match if the Green Whites do not pay special interest in protecting Tim Wiese.

Thomas Schaaf is unsure of Clemens Fritz while Germany U-21 Mesut Özil is still serving suspension for his discretion. Hamburg will be without the services of Nigel de Jong and David Jarolim is suspended for the match.

While Werder fought hard to resist calling their situation as a "crisis" during a miserable October they have since rebounded with a mini-three match unbeaten streak, defeating the Berliners, FC Köln while playing VfL Bochum to a draw. Hamburg on the other hand has suffered with inconsistent play, looking brilliant at times while they beat Bayer Leverkusen and then being destroyed by the likes of TSG Hoffenheim, Wolfsburg and Hannover 96. However their fortunes turn measurably at home and have yet to lose this year.

The expected lineups are:
Bremen: Wiese - Pasanen, Mertesacker, Naldo, Niemeyer - Baumann - Frings, Vranjes - Diego - Almeida, Pizarro

Hamburg: Rost - Boateng, Reinhardt, Mathijsen, Jansen - Demel, Alex Silva - Trochowski, Guerrero, Olic - Petric

Conditions for the match will be perfect, well at-least perfect to me as I like matches in the snow. How this controls pace could could work to Werders advantage as it might nullify Hamburg's attack. While many will point to the key for Werder being the attacking forces of Diego and Claudio Pizarro, success in this match Torsten Frings and assuming he is healthy, Clemens Fritz. Without a controlling midfield, heavy on work-rate the Werder back-line woes will be exposed and this will be a long afternoon.

Vfb axes Armin Veh

After falling to eleventh in the table and in the midst of five match winless run capped by Wolfsburg systematic 4-1 destruction of them, Vfb management fired manager Armin Veh and Alfons Higl.

VfB president Erwin Staudt said:

"In football, there are wonderful and also not so wonderful situations. We held talks with head coach Armin Veh yesterday evening and came to the conclusion that we are in need of change. Armin Veh and Alfons Higl have been relieved of their respective posts. It was a very difficult decision for us to make because we are very thankful what they achieved here over the past three years. I spoke with the team today too and made every individual very aware that he must call up his full potential. The dismissal of Armin Veh should not be seen as an alibi for the players. I expect everyone to be fully concentrated on the task at hand. This should really shake the team into action and hopefully we will use that in our approach to the up-coming tasks."

Vfb will now be led by Markus Babbel who ended his long playing career with die Roten last year

Erwin Staudt explained:

"Markus will take over in the position of team boss, Rainer Widmayer will operate as trainer. We hope that together, they can guide VfB back onto the road to success."

"They aren't coming to Schalke simply to have a good time"

With Borussia Mönchengladbach in town, Fred Rutten knows die Königsblauen must attack then non-stop and earn three points if they are to stay abreast the table.

Rutten said: "We've prepared well for the game. If they need to, Mönchengladbach are capable of working very hard for 95 minutes. One thing is clear. They aren't coming to Schalke simply to have a good time. On the contrary, they'll be in confident mood after taking four points from the last two games. Gladbach are in good form, especially in the fitness department. I'm not expecting an open game. Gladbach will sit back and wait for an opportunity to break. So we'll have to make use of any space on offer."

That might be an understatement because if their was an award for out-working the opposition and playing physical, I'd be casting my vote to Gladbach. Schalke is in for a fine and should expect tight, physical marking at Veltins.

Schalke's only omission is Rafinha while Gladbach will be without Jan-Ingwer Callsen-Bracker, Oliver Neuville and Filip Daems is likely to miss out.

time to remind Vfb of last season

Armin Veh's VfB Stuttgart travel to Volkswagen Arena to face Die Wölfe in an important mid-table Bundesliga match. With Wolfsburg sitting ninth in the table and hopes of a top three finish slowly drifting away, they cannot afford to drop points Saturday afternoon. Felix Magath's forces have been near perfect at home, the only blemish a early season draw to Eintracht Frankfurt. At present the attack orchestrated by Zvjezdan Misimović is firing on all cyclinders with his Bosnia and Herzegovina teammate Edin Džeko and Grafite emerging as one of the Bundesliga's most dangerous striking duos.

Vfb will have Khalid Boulahrouz but are without Ay-Yıldızlılar capped Yıldıray Baştürk, ex-Crvena zvezda man Danijel Ljuboja and the very promising Sami Khedira is questionable. Wolfsburg's Ashkan Dejagah is doubtful and Josué services are questionable due to international duty.

I will report on the match as it concludes.

time to run over those little Volkswagen's

With the exception of a few clubs in the Bundesliga I can honestly say I appreciate their tactical approach and overall approach, regardless where they stand in the table. Of-course I said a "few clubs" and without a doubt, one of those few clubs I have issues with is Wolfsburg, who although they are very good team, seem to spend a lot of time going to the ground and possess a fear of actually defending.

As die Roten travel north to face Wolfsburg at Volkswagen Arena all is not perfect with Armin Veh's side. The club is rooted mid-table with a deplorable record on the road, the victim of an unnerving habit of defensive lapses and without a win in four matches. Defensive weaknesses clearly must be recalled as last year Vfb were gutted 4-0 in Wolfsburg and cannot allow the hosts to have their way in the attack. Armin Veh noted simply:

"We need courage, otherwise it will be difficult. I don't except a brilliant performance, but total commitment."

Vfb will be without Yıldıray Baştürk, Danijel Ljuboja, Sami Khedira is questionable but Khalid Boulahrouz is available. There is some question of the availability of Pável Pardo and Ricardo Osorio who took part in the Sven-Göran Eriksson-led Mexico World Cup qualifying effort and only returned yesterday and the lineup will be severely challenged if they are kept out. Wolfsburg heads into the match relatively unscathed with Ashkan Dejagah doubtful due an injury sustained playing for Germany U-21's and Josué might rest as he is returning from Brazil's humiliation of Portugal.

Wolfsburg are a highly ambitious side that benefit from the deadly Bosnia and Herzegovina combination of Zvjezdan Misimović and Edin Džeko with Grafite in the attack. To overcome Wolfsburg you must borrow a chapter from Karlsruhe SC early season tactics against them and provided a blueprint that Bayern adopted mid-match and Bayer Leverkusen used throughout. A tight marking midfield and getting behind the ball will frustrate the free flowing attack however you additionally must be careful of their nasty habit of swooning in the area and attract chances from the spot.

Jürgen Klopp on Karlsruhe match

Speaking of tomorrows match against Karlsruhe Jürgen Klopp said:

"Everything points to this match being a real battle. Karlsruhe wants to dramatically better their situation in this match. Their team had quality and will be spurred on by their fans. Our task is to make things unpleasant for our opponents."

Hinting at uber-secretive scouting he added:

"I am from the area and I´ll have a few people at KSC´s training session."

Sounds interesting but there really is nothing secretive about Karlsruhe as excluding a poor two match run where they were blown out by Schalke 04 and TSG Hoffenheim, they are competitive in every match and finding a way to wind up on the wrong end of the score. They are a completely different squad when playing at home in the cozy Wildparkstadion as Bayer Leverkusen found out recently in their 3-3 draw as they fought back with three unanswered goals to earn a point. Aussie Joshua Kennedy and Georgian international Alexander Iashvili are significant problem although both might be impacted with short lay-off in the international break.

Preview and injury report to follow.

be nice to the Austrian

That was basically what the club told supporters regarding a not-so friendly Weserstadion reception Sebastian Prödl received during the FC Köln match.

Thomas Schaaf said of the situation:
“Of course it’s understandable that there is an amount of dissatisfaction and impatience considering the current situation, but I got the feeling today that a great deal of that was being unloaded particularly on Sebastian Prödl. I decided to make the substitution in order to spare him that. I felt genuinely sorry for him. I know exactly how discontented he is now sitting in the changing room. The reactions of the spectators didn’t do the team much good at all. They can feel the disconcertment on the pitch and that is not exactly inspiring.”

In further support of the the ex-Sturm Graz man, he said:

“Sebastian has settled in with us very well so far. He is an absolute professional and he gives 100% every day. He is eager to learn and willing, without comment, to take up a position which is not his favourite place on the park. He is happy to play there because that’s where we need him. Aside from that, he has performed very well in that position, although it is clear that, from time to time, certain things don’t work out for him. It’s a real shame that he then has to deal with such immediate reactions.”

Klaus Allofs chimed in with support of younger players:

"You cannot criticise the commitment of players such as Sebastian Prödl or Sebastian Boenish. They are always willing to give their all for the team. In particular as a young player, there can be a tendency to be over motivated. As they gather experience they will find the right balance and poise."

I couldn't agree more with both statements. While supporters are troubled with the play that has seen the Green Whites drop countless points, the younger players are not the problem. The cold-hard facts have been inconsistent play from the supposed "leaders" of the club who seem to be interested in moving elsewhere and some clubs employing better tactical plans. While not the only reason for Werder's "modest" play so-far, with TSG Hoffenheim and FC Köln making the leap up from the second division so easily, it is obvious that some clubs are not responding to tactical maneuvers and being "out-coached." While the Bundesliga likes to embrace a offensive mindset of throwing forward, those who damn the consequences fall short of their goals. Obviously with twenty-four goals in thirteen matches, an alarming inability to control mid-field play and a high incidence of unforced errors, Werder is the worst example of this.

Timo Hildebrand to Die Schwarzgelben?

Die Schwarzgelben management has went out of its way to deny reports that they are talking to former VfB Stuttgart 'keeper Timo Hildebrand who is presently playing for La Liga's Valencia. Media reports today suggested that BVB CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke allegedly met with him but the club firmly denies taking place.