Group B Holland v Germany:Germany coach Joachim Loew could spring a few surprises in their second Euro 2012 Group B game against the Netherlands today after his two last-minute changes paid off in the opening win over Portugal.
Loew opted to start with forward Mario Gomez and defender Mats Hummels in place of the more experienced Miroslav Klose and Per Mertesacker. Gomez scored the only goal of the game and Hummels laid claim to a starting spot in central defence for the rest of the tournament after an outstanding performance.
“Giovanni Trapattoni once said that coaches are no idiots,” Loew said. “A coach sees things, is in constant contact with the players. The coach is very close and there are issues that help him decide. We analyse, we estimate.
“Then there are some situations where I decide out of instinct, where I go with my feeling and that is important for me personally.”
Loew said although his surprises worked this time it did not mean he would stick with the same starting line-up. “I am not one to say never change a winning team,” said the 52-year-old, who is in charge for a third consecutive major tournament with his team chasing their first major trophy since 1996.
“It is possible that there are one or two changes. I do not rule it out. Maybe in the last training sessions there is something that will convince me to take a decision,” he said.
It doesn’t take a tactical genius to work out what their opponents need to fix. The Netherlands created plenty of chances in their 1-0 loss to Denmark – they simply have to be able to convert them, and that could mean a start for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
Bert van Marwijks team produced 28 attempts on goal against the Danes but only eight were on target.
Van Marwijk opted to leave Schalke 04 forward Huntelaar, the continents top scorer in qualifying with 12 goals in eight games, on the bench until 19 minutes from the end but he will surely consider starting the prolific striker today.
The pairing of Huntelaar and Robin van Persie is by no means incompatible, even within the Dutch system which utilizes just one out-and-out striker with three players attacking from wider and deeper positions.
When they played together in qualifying Van Persie moved out to a wider role, cutting in from the flank, leaving Huntelaar to sniff out goals. If Van Marwijk chooses that option then Ibrahim Affelay, who did not impress against the Danes, would be the most obvious choice to stand down.
Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv, 7.45pm
On TV:RTÉ 2, BBC1
Referee:
Jonas Eriksson (Sweden).
Substitutes from:
Krul, Vorm, Mathijsen, Boulahrouz, Bouma, Schaars, Strootman, Van der Vaart, Afellay, L de Jong, Kuyt, Narsingh.
Coach:Bert van Marwijk.
Substitutes from:
Wiese, Zieler, Hoewedes, Mertesacker, Schmelzer, Bender, Goetze, Guendogan, Kroos, Reus, Schuerrle, Klose.
Coach:Joachim Loew.
