Have Germany Found their World Cup Striker?

The World Cup is next summer, and just like the three previous tournaments...YES...Germany will yet again go in as favourites...and probably come third or even second again. They have the most promising young talent in the world, and their team is almost complete...apart from that last missing piece. Sorry kids, but you CAN'T GO TO A WORLD CUP WITHOUT A STRIKER.

Well....okay, maybe that may not be entirely true. For all the life that's still in me, I don't understand how France won it on home soil, without a striker. Yes, they had Stephane Guivarc'h as their striker.....BUT I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW THEY WON IT WITHOUT A STRIKER.

It actually does help when others chip in, like Thuram in that semi-final. But it can't harm when you have greatness in the making in the form of Zizou. He took the grandest stage into the palm of his hand, and led France to the promised land.(I love it when I rhyme!). Petit also helped as well to complete their dream...and to perhaps prove that a striker is not needed to win a World Cup.





Back to Germany, they unfortunately do no have the good fortune of having that star player in midfield. Ozil, Reus, Gotze and Muller are all very good players who can score on occasion. But if someone is going to tell me they are on the same level as Zidane, then I'm gonna have to SLAP someone across the face. They aren't. Primarily, they are playmakers and creative players. In football, a creator is only as good as his finisher. And in the words of Shakespeare, Where Art Thou the Striking Foot?

That's why my eyes turn to Schurrle. It was that hat-trick against Sweden that got me noticing. Mourinho likes to play him on the wing, but once he moved to the center to score off Torres's assist, I saw a finisher. The dude has the speed, the direct play, control....but more importantly it is that eye of goal that has got me sitting up. Germany need a player in that striking hole that is mobile, and can make those sharp runs to catch the defenders off guard. I can just see Schurrle linking up well with Reus, Ozil and Gotze, and them cutting through defences.

Relax. I have not forgotten about this man. You can never discount a man who has done it on the biggest stage. Someone who is one of the highest goalscorers in the greatest tournament. Klose is a guy who will always be in my team. It was the same thing with Owen. These two players can not do much for a much of a game...then they will find a way to put the ball in the net. Last I checked, that's what I want my striker to bloody do. So yes, Klose already has this ticket booked to Brazil. The question is whether he is the one to rely upon, and for me, I am leaning towards no. I see a man who is getting older, and I am looking at those South American teams that will be more physical than Germany. I just feel that sharpness, swiftness and quick feet will be needed for Germany to prosper when they get into attacking positions.


HH