Team Focus: Germany's Adaptation of the 'False 9' Can Steer Them to Glory

Taking Miroslav Klose to the World Cup as the only striker was always going to be a risk for Germany, but it was one that Joachim Löw was willing to take. The decision to overlook Mario Gomez, Max Kruse and Kevin Volland was perhaps a controverisal one and has the potential to backfire.

Despite netting just 7 goals in 25 appearances for Lazio, Klose possesses the poacher’s instinct to tuck away chances when needed, but no backup in attack means that should the experienced frontman succumb to injury, Löw has no out-and-out striking reinforcements to call upon. That is unlikely to have sprung to mind when the full time whistle blew in the meeting between Germany and Portugal on Monday. Die Mannschaft put their Group G rivals to the sword, romping to a 4-0 victory to confirm their status as one of the favourites to win the World Cup.

Löw instead used Bayern Munich’s Thomas Müller as the focal point in attack and despite having featured as a striker 8 times for Bayern last season, this is perhaps not his best position. Müller is best suited in the number 10 role, or out on the wing to cut inside and go for goal, but was flanked by Mario Götze and Mesut Özil against Portugal.

While it may not be an exact blueprint of the ‘false 9’ system Vicente Del Bosque deployed at Euro 2012, Germany’s approach still bears a striking resemblance to the Spain of two years ago. In Monday's win, Philipp Lahm and Sami Khedira operated as the two deepest-lying midfielders, similar to Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets in Poland and Ukraine, while Toni Kroos played the "Xavi role".

With no player attempting more passes (79) than Lahm and only Kroos (96.2%) enjoying a better pass success of every Germany outfielder than his Bayern teammate (93.7%) in the win over Portugal, Lahm is capable of matching the exploits of Alonso and Busquets 2 years ago. However, question marks remain over Khedira’s role in the team. The midfielder missed a substantial chunk of the season with a cruciate ligament injury and though he did not put a foot wrong in the win over Portugal, Bastian Schweinsteiger’s expected return may be well timed.

Schweinsteiger may not be a destroyer in the same vain as Khedira, but his passing and creative ability from deep renders him one of the finest players in his position, while his reading of the game means he needn’t use a similar approach as Khedira to break up play. Alongside Lahm, the duo can replicate Alonso and Busquets’ midfield threat from 2012 and with Kroos deployed alongside his Bayern teammates, the trio can pick apart any side on their day.

In defence, Löw opted against using natural full-backs in their Group G opener, instead deploying Benedikt Höwedes and Jerome Boateng at left and right-back respectively. The pairing made just 4 starts between them in the league and Europe last season at full-back, so the decision to field the duo either side of Mats Hummels and Per Mertesacker can be considered an unorthodox one.

Nevertheless, the choice to play Höwedes and Boateng on the left and right side of defence against Portugal worked. While Paulo Bento’s side were reduced to 10-men before the interval, the narrowness of Germany forced their opponents into wider positions to attack. As a result, Portugal attempted more crosses (21) than Germany (12), though only 1 of the Selecção’s balls into the box found a teammate.

Portugal could well have dragged themselves back into the game had Pepe not seen red for a headbutt on Müller, but once the defender was shown his marching orders, their gameplan was left in tatters. However, Germany were disciplined in their approach and pushing Portugal to the flanks limited Cristiano Ronaldo’s influence on the game.

The Real Madrid star may not have been fully fit for the Group G opener, but frequently attempted to find a way past Manuel Neuer. Only Karim Benzema (8 vs Switzerland) has had more shots on goal in a single game at the 2014 World Cup than Ronaldo against Germany (7), but many of his efforts were potshots from distance. The lack of space between the lines meant he was unable to forge clear-cut goalscoring opprtunities and have a lasting effect in the fixture. This is reflected in his WhoScored rating (6.17) in the defeat, a huge drop from his average in La Liga (8.25) and the Champions League (8.7) last season.

Squeezing the space available in the middle of the park forces attacking opposition players wide and with the heading ability of starters Mertesacker and Hummels - not to mention Höwedes and Boateng covering from left and right - this ensures any cross from either flank should be easy to defend against. With the midfield also sitting deeper, teams will find it increasingly difficult to break Germany down, while the outlets of Özil, Müller and Götze means Die Mannschaft can instigate swift and potentially devastating attacks in the blink of an eye.

Germany are just one of the teams to have adopted Spain’s ‘false 9’ approach from two years ago, but Löw has modified the system to utilise the personnel available to him. The Germans not only have the technical ability to match Spain, but the power running through the squad means there is every possibility they can better La Furia Roja’s exploits at Euro 2012.

Their plan to stifle Portugal worked perfectly and if they can maintain their performances in their remaining group games with Ghana and USA, they should comfortably progress to the next round as table toppers, while many feel Germany can secure their 4th World Cup this summer.

Do you think Germany's approach will see them win the World Cup? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below