Posts Tagged Beckenbauer
1972 Euro Final ~ West-Germany vs USSR (10 min. Highlights)
Posted by 4Dfoot in Highlights on May 14, 2012
The rise of Özil, Müller and Götze is often represented as a break with Germany’s traditional brand of football. Suddenly the masters of hard work, discipline and ruthless effiency have added skill, creativity and flair to their side.
The reality is that such qualities have always been part of Germany’s greatest teams. This fact is best demonstrated by the 1972 side that, among others, demolished England at Wembley. With Franz Beckenbauer as the undisputed leader, Paul Breitner as the marauding left back, Günter Netzer as the brilliant playmaker and Gerd Müller as the lethal finisher, few at the time could hope to match this German soccer team in any aspect of the game.
But at the height of the Cold War, there was no more fearsome opponent in Europe than the Soviets and their mysterious, mathematical approach to football.
Read the rest of this entry »
1988 Euro Semi-Final ~ West-Germany vs Holland (10 min. HL)
Posted by 4Dfoot in Highlights on May 13, 2012
On paper, it was just a semi-final. In practise, it was much more than that. As Holland coach Rinus Michels would later declare: “it was the real final”.
Michels’ statement reflects the hatred that the Dutch felt for the Germans at the time. The memory of the Second World War still loomed over Dutch society, and the trauma of the 1974 World Cup final had never healed. Since that epic defeat the Dutch had played against the Germans again and again, always insisting that this time, revenge would be exacted. But they just could not beat those Germans. Those diving, cheating, defensive and lucky Germans, as they saw it.
But maybe this time would be different. After the generation of the 70′s, Holland had fallen from grace as a power in international football. They’d missed the 1982 and 1986 World Cup. But with a new generation of great footballers – Rijkaard, Gullit, Koeman, Van Basten – they’d made their way into Euro 1988. A tournament held in Germany. And after stumbling through the group phase, they were now faced with West-Germany itself. The time to finally settle the score had arrived.
But they’d have to defeat an excellent opponent. The Germany of the mid 80′s had been average at best, despite excellent results, but a new crop of world class players was emerging: Matthaus, Voller, Brehme, Klinsmann. Coached by Franz Beckenbauer – captain of 1974, they’d do anything in their power to once again destroy the Dutch on German soil.
1973 European Cup Quarter-Final ~ Ajax vs Bayern (Full Classic Match)
Posted by 4Dfoot in Full Classic Matches on February 2, 2012
FC Bayern München, in the early seventies, were a rising force in European football. The presence of world class players like Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Mueller ensured that it would only be a matter of time before they would crown themselves champions of Europe.
But in 1973 that crown was stil very firmly on the head of Johan Cruyff’s AFC Ajax. Having won the previous two European Cups, they played with an unmatched confidence in their total football tactics. A high defensive line, constant positional changes and an aggressive forward press had proved the key features of a thus far, unstoppable strategy.
But would it also work against this strong Bayern? Read the rest of this entry »
All-Time Germany Best XI
Posted by 4Dfoot in Best of All Time on December 21, 2011
Germany, since the 1950′s, has been the most successful European side by a large margin. The Germans made their way to seven different World Cup finals (1954, 1966, 1974, 1982, 1986, 1990 and 2002), winning the tournament on three occasions. In addition, the Germans won Euro 1972, 1980 and 1996.
Yet for all their success, rarely have the Germans gained a reputation for playing brilliant football. It’s often been said that Germany is the only country that doesn’t need great players to achieve great results. Their work-ethic, discipline and fighting spirit – not individual genius – carries them through to the end.
So what would an All-Time German team look like? Would it match up with the All-Time teams of countries known for their individual talent, such as Brazil, Argentina or Holland? I believe so.
World Cup 1974 Second Group Phase ~ West-Germany vs Sweden (Full Classic Match)
Posted by 4Dfoot in Full Classic Matches on December 7, 2011
There was more to the 1974 World Cup than Total Football. Perhaps the most exciting game of the tournament didn’t feature a single orange-cled player: West-Germany vs Sweden.
Instead it featured the resiliant Swedes (the only team that had managed to keep Holland scoreless) and West-Germany: the home team, the European Champions, and, before the rise of Holland, the favourites to win the tournament.
Expectations for West-Germany had diminshed somewhat after they had been defeated by East-Germany in the first group phase. It was an inconsequential defeat though, as Beckenbauer & Co had already qualified for the second group phase. And to prove they had as much offensive punch as two years earlier during Euro 1972, they were ready to attack Sweden with full force.
1988 Euro Semi-Final ~ West-Germany vs Holland (Full Classic Match)
Posted by 4Dfoot in Full Classic Matches on November 14, 2011
On paper, it was just a semi-final. In practise, it was much more than that. As Holland coach Rinus Michels would later declare: “it was the real final”.
Michels’ statement reflects the hatred that the Dutch felt for the Germans at the time. The memory of the Second World War still loomed over Dutch society, and the trauma of the 1974 World Cup final had never healed. Since that epic defeat the Dutch had played against the Germans again and again, always insisting that this time, revenge would be exacted. But they just could not beat those Germans. Those diving, cheating, defensive and lucky Germans, as they saw it.
But maybe this time would be different. After the generation of the 70′s, Holland had fallen from grace as a power in international football. They’d missed the 1982 and 1986 World Cup. But with a new generation of great footballers – Rijkaard, Gullit, Koeman, Van Basten – they’d made their way into Euro 1988. A tournament held in Germany. And after stumbling through the group phase, they were now faced with West-Germany itself. The time to finally settle the score had arrived.
But they’d have to defeat an excellent opponent. The Germany of the mid 80′s had been average at best, despite excellent results, but a new crop of world class players was emerging: Matthaus, Voller, Brehme, Klinsmann. Coached by Franz Beckenbauer – captain of 1974, they’d do anything in their power to once again destroy the Dutch on German soil.
Guerin’s Top 50 Best Players of the 20th Century
Posted by 4Dfoot in Best of All Time on November 13, 2011
In 1999, the Italian sports magazine Guerin’ Sportivo created a ranked list of the 50 best players of all time. I 50 Grandi del Secolo contains a clear Italian bias. 15 of the 50 players are Italian, and a further 15 footballers used to play in the Italian league. Meanwhile the likes of George Best, Romario, Ruud Gullit and Sandor Kocsis aren’t even mentioned.
But despite that, it’s still a wonderful list. Not only because it names a few forgotten Italians players, but also because it comes with a nice poetic description of every player, consisting of only a few words. Some of them really capture a player’s essence. What about The Champion that lived twice for Bobby Charlton – survivor of Manchester United’s Munich plane crash? Or how about Fragile and Indestructable for the injury prone yet resilient Roberto Baggio?
Two other poetic descriptions I like are Against the Ghost of Pelé for Zico. Nicknamed the White Pelé, Zico fought all his career against the shadow of Pelé’s triple World Cup triumphs, which Zico utterly failed to replicate. And what better way to describe Johan Cruyff and his continuous struggle to find new paths than The Champion of the New Frontier?
Here is the entire list with translated descriptions
11-11-11 ~ The Best 11 of all time
Posted by 4Dfoot in Articles, Best of All Time on November 11, 2011
In the near future, this website will add a page dedicated to lists and formations of the greatest players of all time. And to get a taste of what’s to come, what better way to celebrate 11-11-11 than by making a line-up of the best 11 of all time?
The challenge with ‘best ever’ formations is selecting the best players without creating a ridiculous team that has 11 strikers or playmakers. The objective is to make a line-up that can actually work.
That means making hard choices. You can’t have Zidane, Cruyff, Maradona, Platini, Zico and Di Stefano all in one team. Only retired players are included, so that, at least, saves me a head ache over Messi’s position.
So who made the cut?
1966 World Cup Final ~ England vs West-Germany (Full Classic Match)
Posted by 4Dfoot in Full Classic Matches on November 5, 2011
England had arrived in the 1966 World Cup final on the back of a few controversial classic matches. The quarter-final against Argentina had been won after the Argentine captain had been inexplicably sent off. The semi-final against Eusebio’s Portugal is still remembered in Lissabon for a streak of dubious decisions by the referee. But regardless of the road that had taken them there, what mattered was that the English were in the final, for the first and last time in World Cup history. Playing on Wembley, with their wingless 4-4-2 diamond formation, featuring Bobby Moore and Bobby Charlton, only one outcome was acceptable to the English. The same one as 21 years earlier: Victory.
They faced a solid German side, however. Captained by the experienced forward Uwe Seeler, the Germans had knocked out Spain, Uruguay and the Soviet-Union with a more traditional 4-2-4, where the young Franz Beckenbauer (20) and Wolfgang Overath (22) were tasked to run the midfield. While undoubtedly talented, perhaps their days of glory would come into the future.
1970 World Cup Quarter-Final ~ England vs West-Germany (Full Classic Match)
Posted by 4Dfoot in Full Classic Matches on October 21, 2011
A repeat of the 1966 World Cup final, and almost as dramatic as that memorable encounter. England were as good, if not better, than four years earlier. But the Germans had gotten stronger too. Beckenbauer and Overath were more experienced, and with striker Gerd Müller, the Germans could deploy a dangerous new weapon. And this time, there were no Russian linesmen to aid the English.
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