Germany: On the right day with the right support ... (FT)

Germany are the World Cup’s perennial over-achievers. They won their first (of three) in 1954 in Berne, with a team of petrol station managers and cleaning proprietors against Ferenc Puskas and his magnificent Magyars, in one of the competition’s biggest-ever shocks.

In the last World Cup, they went to Japan and South Korea with a side containing little talent and still made it to the final.

This time their squad is arguably even weaker. However, they have the advantage of playing at home. This has nurtured a peculiar attitude among German fans, who regard their team with a mixture of wild optimism and extreme condescension.

This uncharacteristically fickle stance has extended to coach Jürgen Klinsmann. The former international striker has dragged the team into the modern era with new training drills, adventurous selections and an aggressive style of play, yet has been forced to endure much criticism – including resignation calls – for his side’s indifferent results and his habit of jetting in for games from his California home.

The calls for him to go reached a particularly high pitch earlier this year when Germany lost 4-1 to old rivals Italy. Indeed, as armchair pundits like to point out, the Mannschaft’s last victory against a leading football nation was more than five years ago against England – who took emphatic revenge a year later, handing out a 5-1 drubbing in Munich’s Olympic stadium.

The biggest worries in the run-up to the opening game – what should be a relatively gentle loosener against Costa Rica – concern the home team’s defence. This is young and without much experience in big competitions – or at least it was until Klinsmann recalled veteran Jens Nowotny in what looked like a desperate act. Per Mertesacker, Philipp Lamm and Arne Friedrich all ooze insecurity, while Nowotny will struggle against a striker with even the slightest turn of speed.

Klinsmann even contrived to make a hash of what should have been a strength: the goalkeeper’s position. Oliver Kahn, Bayern Munich’s fiery number one, almost single-handedly guided Germany to the 2002 final. But Klinsmann felt he had become complacent through a lack of competition and so, about 18 months ago, set in place a rotation system, with Kahn playing one game and Jens Lehmann, his arch-rival from Arsenal, the next.

This created a poisonous atmosphere. Eventually, Lehmann got the nod only for fans to plunge again into an existential quandary after he was sent off in last month’s Champions League final against Barcelona.

Klinsmann also lacks a top-class striker, having only Werder Bremen’s solid Miroslav Klose, whose haul of five goals in the 2002 World Cup was inflated by a hat-trick against a dire Saudi Arabia, and the young but immature talent of Cologne’s Lukas Podolski. Like England, Germany have included an uncapped but pacy youngster – Borussia Dortmund winger David Odonkor.

The midfield has a bit more zip – at least on paper: Chelsea may have rolled out the red carpet for Michael Ballack, but much of his play this year for Bayern Munich has been below his best and Germany must hope he regains form fast. Torsten Frings and Bernd Schneider are both solid and dependable, while Bastian Schweinsteiger can supply a dash of the unexpected.

So far so uninspiring. And yet, not even this German team can be written off. On the right day, with vocal home support, they are capable of raising their game.

In last summer’s Confederations Cup, Germany played Brazil in Nüremberg. They may have lost 3-2 but they played brilliantly. Perhaps Klinsmann’s men may yet join Germany’s over-achievers.