Finally, the Kicker Online and Bild ratings for both the Turkey and Belgium matches have been published – so let’s see how they compare with my scores and with each other. First, the Turkey match:
Schwarz und Weiß:
Neuer (1.5) – Boateng (2), Mertesacker (3.5), Badstuber (3), Lahm (3) – Schweinsteiger (2), Khedira (2) – Müller (1), Götze (2.5), Podolski (4) – Gómez (2). Subs (before 75 mins only): Höwedes (3), Schürrle (2.5)
For me, there was a clear man of the match – Thomas Müller. Over the entire ninety minutes, Müller was a bundle of energy, and on top of that played a part in all three German goals – setting up the first, scoring the second and winning the penalty for the third. As for the worst player on the pitch – Lukas Podolski, who gets a 4.
Kicker:
Neuer (1) – Boateng (2), Mertesacker (2), Badstuber (2), Lahm (4) – Khedira (3.5), Schweinsteiger (1) – Müller (1.5), Götze (2.5), Podolski (4.5) – Gómez (2.5). No scores for subs.
Kicker has given top ratings to two men – ‘keeper Manuel Neuer and midfield engine Bastian Schweinsteiger. I have given Neuer 1.5 – mainly on account of his world-class save in the opening five minutes – but after that he didn’t much to do. Schweinsteiger was solid and offered excellent distribution all evening – I have given him a score of 2 – but neither of these players bettered Müller’s perfomance. Kicker gives Müller a score of 1.5. At least we agree on the worst player – and Kicker is even harsher than I am in giving Poldi a rating of 4.5.
Bild:
Neuer (1) – Boateng (3), Mertesacker (3), Badstuber (3), Lahm (3) – Schweinsteiger (1), Khedira (4) – Müller (1), Götze (1), Podolski (4) – Gómez (2). Subs: Höwedes (3), Schürrle (4)
Bild has been far more generous with the plaudits, giving Neuer, Schweinsteiger, Müller and Mario Götze all a score of 1. I know that Bild are big fans of the Dortmund teenager, but I didn’t think Götze’s performance was that good – he was anonymous for much of the game. On the negative side they have given a score of 4 to Podolski, but also Sami Khedira which is for me a little surprising.
A now the match against Belgium:
Schwarz und Weiß:
Neuer (3) – Höwedes (3), Hummels (2), Mertesacker (3.5), Lahm (3) – Khedira (1.5) – Müller (2), Özil (1.5), Kroos (4), Schürrle (2) – Gómez (2). Subs: Reus (3)
Nobody really set the field alight for me in this game, but Mesut Özil gets a 1.5 for a performance that was excellent while at the same time not mind-blowing. Sami Khedira gets the same score for what was an excellent “silent assassin” performance. Worst player on the pitch: Toni Kroos, who was bereft of ideas, anonymous and possiblyin the wrong position.
Kicker:
Neuer (3.5) – Höwedes (3), Hummels (2.5), Mertesacker (3.5), Lahm (3) – Khedira (2.5) – Müller (3), Özil (1.5), Kroos (3), Schürrle (2.5) – Gómez (2). No scores for subs.
Kicker has picked out man out of the pile – Özil, who gets a score of 1.5. Every other score is middle of the range, though at the bottom of the pile come Neuer and Per Mertesacker with 3.5. I think this is perhaps a little harsh on Neuer, who didn’t really have much to do until his late flap that allowed Belgium to score – though I suppose Mertesacker getting the same score has a lot to do with the part he played in the Belgian goal.
Bild:
Neuer (3) – Höwedes (4), Hummels (3), Mertesacker (3), Lahm (2) – Khedira (3) – Müller (2), Özil (1), Kroos (3), Schürrle (2) – Gómez (2). Subs: Reus (3)
Özil is the stand-out man for Bild, while most of the rest of the team get good to average scores. Their lowest rating (a score of four) goes to Benedikt Höwedes, though I do think this is a little harsh given that it was Mertesacker’s error than allowed Belgium to get on the score sheet. Höwedes may have been out of position on a couple of occasions, though I can remember one excellent chase back and challenge.
As always, it is interesting to see how different people interpret the same game…