Euro 2008 Qualifiers: Group Therapy for Miro Klose

By: Jan | June 1st, 2007

Miroslav Klose - Thinking Your season did not really develop as you had anticipated? Your team faces relegation, hangs around in Bundesliga nowhere-land or just plays shit like Bayern Munich? Or your name is Lukas Podolski and you haven’t had the chance to play at all except for a round of rock paper scissors with your mates on the bench (although there is a career opportunity in that as well)? How about joining the small, sunny, cozy world of the German national team for a change? A team that still carries with it the flair and memories of the glory days of that summer in 2006. A team that wins matches convincingly and with style. A team where fans and press alike will lavish heaps of praise on you and your teammates. Now it’s time to introduce our newest patient to the team who hopes to refresh his memories of what it’s like to be a good football player: man of mystery Miroslav Klose. National coach Jogi Löw has already given him a guaranteed spot in the starting XI for both Euro 2008 qualifying games. San Marino will be his chance to finally score a couple of goals again and then a few days later we will see if he can really make anything happen again against slightly stronger opposition from Slovakia.

Other notable news about those two matches: Bastian Schweinsteiger, Lukas Podolski and Michael Ballack are all out injured. They alone scored seven of the thirteen goals of the first encounter with San Marino and all four goals of the match against Slovakia. So let’s see who will be stepping up for them. Kevin Kuranyi will be playing with Klose up front and Bernd Schneider will be captain and also take over Ballack’s role in the midfield. Those are the important facts for the San Marino match. I will report back later when I can announce the exact goal count. The current record for a German national team is a 16:0 against Russia (Olympics 1912). Although Jogi Löw has already stated that they won’t be out hunting any records but rather want to use the match to prepare for the real challenge against Slovakia.