Problems may have plagued their group stage performance, but Germany will certainly be a tall order for the Italians in their quest for European success; with a head-to-head unbeaten record in need of preserving.
Far from being an assured showing on their route to the quarter-finals, the Germans have fallen back on their efficiency in getting the job done in the European champions. As the current FIFA World Cup holders and winner of the European Championship on three occasions, it was never in doubt that Joachim Low’s side would be among the favourites, but they’ve made it tough on themselves.
Despite their recent successes the German team seemed unsure of itself during the group stage, finishing as comfortable winners over Ukraine but failed to score against Poland and just scraping a 1-0 win over Northern Ireland. With arguably one of the strongest squads in the competition it didn’t make sense to see the group favourites appear so unconvincing. Low has since tweaked important aspects of his set up, notably scraping the unorthodox ‘False 9’ formation and giving Mario Gomez the lone striker role he’s built his name on. By and large, this has been the most important modification Low has made to his team.
Germany has a long history of influential strikers who have become household names. From Gerd Muller to Miroslav Klose, the very tradition of football in Central Europe has been heavily influenced by conventional strikers long before the Berlin Wall was demolished. Oliver Bierhoff, who scored the Euro 1996 final, spent much of his career playing on Italian soil; perhaps most notably for AC Milan. While Gomez has an impressive record up front for his country, fans have always had mixed feelings about the Fiorentina man.
As influential as switching Gomez into the team has been, the goal scoring drought of Thomas Muller remains a concern. The Bayern Munich star scored nine goals during the qualification stages of the tournament, with an impressive haul of 32 in the Bundesliga for the German champions. Other strikers have suffered the same fate in the tournament so far, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robert Lewandowski unable to find the back of the net in the group stages. The unusual formation change may have affected Muller to a degree, but the odds of seeing the 26-year-old score in this tournament are still relatively high.
Now this unconvincing German side have to face Italy, rekindling an ancient rivalry between two nations who have appeared in more World Cup finals then all other European countries combined. Azzuri boss Antonio Conte will be aware of the threat posed by the German frontline, but will also have their previous with meeting with their European neighbours at the back of his mind. While it may well have only been a friendly, the 4-1 defeat to Germany back in March isn’t too distant a memory; a scenario the Italians won’t want to repeat.
However, one source of pride for Italy is their unbeaten record against Germany in the European championships; two draws and the single win. Despite this their opponents have caused them heartache in the past, most notably their elimination in the group stage of Euro 1996 when even Gianfranco Zola couldn’t inspire a win over ten-men Germany. Nevertheless, the Azzurri have had the last laugh, defeating Germany on their way to final of Euro 2012; thanks in large to a memorable brace from enigmatic striker Mario Balotelli.
All in all, it’s a classic fixture between two giants of football who have both impressed in France despite the different expectations upon them and both will be wary of one another as they look to mask their flaws.
