International Friendly Preview: Germany – Ivory Coast

Germany lost a great footballer and even better man in Robert Enke on Tuesday. How will they react in their first match after the great goalkeeper’s death?

Nov 17, 2009 4:25:43 PM

Bundesliga: Bayer 04 Leverkusen - VfL Bochum, Yahia, Kießling (firo)

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Bundesliga: Bayer 04 Leverkusen - VfL Bochum, Yahia, Kießling (firo)

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Kick-Off: Wednesday, November 18, 2009, 20:45 CET

Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany

The Show Goes On

A week after Robert Enke’s passing, Germany return to work against the Ivory Coast. The squad has been mentally torn, and how the players will react in their first competitive outing since the tragedy is very much in question.

“We are all shocked, we are all speechless,” remarked Germany manager Oliver Bierhoff. “I feel completely empty,” echoed coach Joachim Loew. Players and management alike have taken Enke’s death as a terrible blow, one that prompted the German FA to cancel Saturday’s friendly against Chile.

A week later, life continues, and the three-time World Cup winners are indeed set to take the pitch tomorrow. At his disposal, coach Joachim Loew has a handful of regular starters, with injuries having forced him to include several players who are either minimally (or not at all) experienced at international level, or in poor form.

In particular, Stefan Kiessling—once considered the next Rudi Voeller—will look to make an impression at the international level in just his third appearance for Germany since his first cap in 2007. The Leverkusen striker has managed eight goals in 12 appearances this term, propelling himself to top of the Bundesliga scoring charts. At the moment, Kiessling has exactly double the sum of his Germany competitors’ league goals, and for this reason will surely get the chance to start.

In addition to Kiessling, Aaron Hunt, Jerome Boateng, Andreas Beck, Marcel Schaefer, Tim Wiese, Manuel Neuer, Mesut Oezil, and Marko Marin are among the fringe players looking forward to solidifying roles at the 2010 World Cup. Although none has more than a small handful of caps, each will have to struggle through the pain and perform in the toughest friendly of their lives. As Sepp Herberger once famously said, “Nach dem Spiel ist vor dem Spiel” (after the game is before the game).

Elephants Out To Cause A Stir In 2010

With 16 points from six World Cup Qualifiers, Ivory Coast were Africa’s best team in the competition, and are now out to make a big impression in 2010. In an October interview with FIFA.com, captain and record scorer Didier Drogba called the upcoming World Cup “an opportunity for Africans to show what they can do to the rest of the world.”

Indeed, despite being the home continent of dozens of Europe’s finest stars, Africa has failed to produce a side with the quality to seriously challenge for the World Cup. With the cup finally coming to home territory, Drogba sees 2010 as an ideal opportunity for an African team to advance deep into the tournament, for both motivational and talent-related reasons.

“It is a huge honour for us African people to play at this World Cup, on African soil. Now what is left is for us to work together in making Africa proud,” he said before adding, “We have capable teams like Ghana, Egypt, Cameroon and Ivory Coast who have some of the top players in the world.”

In their last friendly of the year, Les Elephants face some of the fiercest opposition the team could face at the World Cup, and accordingly, Africa’s best team will be highly motivated.

FORM GUIDE

Germany:

October 14 v Finland (H) – DREW 1-1 (WCQ)

October 10 v Russia (A) – WON 1-0 (WCQ)

September 09 v Azerbaijan (H) – WON 4-0 (WCQ)

September 05 v South Africa (H) – WON 2-0 (Friendly)

August 12 v Azerbaijan (A) – WON 2-0 (WCQ)

Ivory Coast:

November 14 v Guinea (H) – WON 3-0 (WCQ)

October 10 v Malawi (A) – DREW 1-1 (WCQ)

September 05 v Burkina Faso (H) – WON 5-0 (WCQ)

August 12 v Tunisia (A) – DREW 0-0 (Friendly)

June 20 v Burkina Faso (A) WON 3-2 (WCQ)

TEAM NEWS

Germany:

After Robert Enke’s passing and Rene Adler’s withdrawal due to an eye infection, Tim Wiese and Manuel Neuer will duke it out for a starting role. Given his league form, Wiese will likely get the start. Simon Rolfes and Michael Ballack are both out with knee ailments, Thomas Mueller was sent back to the U-21 side, and Miroslav Klose was also dropped, having been in quarantine in recent days due to a swine flu scare.

Apart from the position of goalkeeper, the rest of the squad is a real toss-up. Jogi Loew will likely use a 4-4-2 setup, but with several new and barely tested players, it’s tough to tell who will start. Here are my picks:

Possible Starting XI: Wiese – Lahm, Mertesacker, Boateng, Schaefer – Schweinsteiger, Hitzlsperger, Trochowski – Oezil – Kiessling, Gomez

Ivory Coast:

Having qualified for the World Cup, Vahid Halilhodzic may shuffle his lineup and give some of his overlooked talents the chance to vie for a starting role in 2010. Portsmouth loanee Aruna Dindane was recently recalled, and given his current form will likely get the start ahead of Salomon Kalou, who was dropped following an altercation in training. Bakary Kone and Boubacar Barry are unavailable due to injury, and Aristide Zogbo and Ibrahim Kone may feature as starters or substitutes in their stead.

Possible Starting XI: Copa – Eboue, K. Toure, Bamba, Tiene – Keita, Y. Toure, Zokora, Romaric – Drogba, Dindane

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Stefan Kiessling (Germany)

It’s been a long time coming, but the Leverkusen striker has finally earned a recall, and for good reason: his record of eight strikes in 12 matches is double the sum of goals from Mario Gomez (3), Lukas Podolski (1), and Miroslav Klose (0), who have played in a combined 32 matches.

Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast)

Who else? Drogba has been in the form of his life this year, having scored nine goals and provided five assists in his first 12 league outings with Chelsea. Fast, powerful, and lethal in front of goal, Drogba will be the Elephants’ main attacking threat.

PREDICTION

It’s been a dismal week for Germany, who have only had minimal training and, due to injuries, will only have a few regular first-team starters available. Then again, it’s a great opportunity for players on the proverbial 'fence' to break into the first team and solidify possible roles at the World Cup, and so it is very difficult to gauge their possible performance. The same goes for Ivory Coast, although Les Elephants will have a less experimental side at their disposal. If he is fit, Didier Drogba will, as always, be a major threat, although several Ivorian fringe players will look to take their chances as well.

Germany 1–1 Ivory Coast

Clark Whitney, Goal.com

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