My soccer-mad husband and sons have been glued to the television these past few weeks, watching the World Cup. You might wonder if they actually devoted some of the effort and initiative that they do into watching football and analysing all the play of the teams into other areas, that they might be productive in other skills too, but there is no way a wife and mother can be able to break into the one-track football mind of the males in her family!
The surprise of the tournament, as they tell me, is that champions of the world, Germany, have been dumped out of the cup by South Korea, and are no longer able to defend the trophy that they won four years ago. Now, I am not enough of a fan to know much about it, but I do know my offside rule, and enough football to get by, and I do know my Manchester.
There was a sign that Germany would not go far, and that is when Joachim Low, Germany manager, did not pick Manchester City’s Leroy Sane to be in the team. Sane was probably the most high profile casualty of the World Cup squad, and his elimination from the final squad had many members of my family thinking “What?” After his fine form for Manchester City down the left flank terrorising opposing right backs, you would have thought he would be an automatic inclusion, but no, he went on vacation instead. Like the pianist Rachmaninov, Sane is spending the World Cup on the outside, looking in, and generally musing.
As a counsellor I learn to read the signs and Sane’s exclusion was a sign that Low was going on reputation, but many of those who won the cup four years ago are on the decline of their careers. Germany had an aging squad but the manager was not brave enough to not pick big name players, such as Neuer, the goalkeeper who made the error that led to the Korean’s second goal. Low may have argued that big name players have familiarity with the tempo of the World Cup buildup and games, and have influential experience, but the flip side is that he cannot make the crucial decisions.
Germany’s run has ended without breaking out of the Group stage. At least England won’t lose out to them on penalties!