Wednesday, June 14: Poland vs Germany

[Onkel Neal]

Uh oh!!

Talk trash and make predictions here

[Dan D]

This will be a special game. There is a bit of Polish cultural influence in the area where the game takes place. Many people here have Polish names. Those are descendants of Poles who came here in past centuries to work in the coal mines. Apart from those Germans with Polish roots, there are about 700.000 "fresh" Poles in the triangle marked by the cities Essen, Duisburg and Dortmund which is the centre of the Polish community in Germany. Some are here to earn a living and have plans to go back to Poland, others came to Germany to become German citizens actually. A friend of mine is a Pole who came to Germany at the age of 12, learned the German language quickly, became a German citizen and a lawyer and who now earns a lot of money with giving legal advice to Poles living in Germany and Polish business companies entering the German market. His father did well, too:
he was a politician in Poland and became an entrepeneur and politician in Germany with a bit of influence in the region. Both of them support the Polish team despite of being German citizens.
So, when the Polish team plays tonight in Dortmund it is a bit like playing on the home turf. The Poles here want to celebrate a Polish party. The lifeless performance of the Polish team in the first match was a big disappointment. Now it is a matter of honour for the Polish team to show some spirit to make their fellow countrymen in Germany feel good. To stay in the tournament, the Poles have to win this match.

The German team on the other hand wants to qualify early for the second round and -which is important- with no goals scored against. Both forwards of the German starting team, Klose and Podolski, are Polish immigrants who chose to play for Germany instead for Poland. Both of them are excellent players who would suit the Polish team as well. Klose is expecting a football fight where players are carrying "knives between their teeth".

Good game, everyone!
I will go to the pub to watch the game together with some Polish fans.

[Skybird]

Podolski's family is originally German, they lived for a longer time in Schlesien (today Polish. The family returned to Germany when Poldi, as we call him, was two years old. Klose's family also is orginally German. Until his 8th birthday, the family lived in Poland and France where his father also played professional football. With his 8th biorthday, Klose's family returned back to Germany, finally.In Germany we see such people not as really as immigrants, since their families has been German, but we call them "Aussiedler". Most russian "immigrants" in germany, for example, are german settler families that went to russia under Peter the Great,

[Skybird]

As on the match, while the offense is very strong (maybe the best we have seen so far in this tournament), I want to see improvements in German defense. It has been a bleeding weakness since years. With that stigma we need luck on our side to reach far out. If we close that wound, then everything is possible, not only in this match.Klinsmann underestimates that, I think. when he started he said that he does not care how many goals we get, as long as the offense score one goal more. That philosophy made him focussing on the offense, but he does risky business with regard to the defense. It has resulted in much light (Confed cup) and much shadow (all games before and after that).

[Dan D]

Oh well, the Blut und Boden nativists. Who cares? They both play a technical skilled football. I guess that means they can't be authentic Germans.

[Skybird]

??? Blut und Boden??? No need for such comments here.

My father's family fled from Schlesien as well at the end of the war, btw. So I am not talking some exaggerated nationalistic pride here. I just added some biographical detail to a description of these two that in your description of them was a bit misleading in impression. By roots their families are Germans, not Polish, but they have obviously ties to Poland as well. Nothing bad in that.

[Dan D]

You are right. There are people from Silesia and other parts of Poland who are ethnic Germans and it is not correct to refer to them as "Polish immigrants" because they fall under special rules. One has to distinct between Polish immigrants and so-called "Spätaussiedler" (ethnic Germans from Poland) and displaced persons and war refugees.

All I can say is, that It will be fun tonight to meet Karl Heinz Polak and Milowit Schmitz in the pub to watch how the Spätaussiedler forwards from Poland Klose and Podolski score some goals against Poland hopefully. This match is a highlight of the world cup for many people in this area that has old and new ties with Poland. Some people are hosting Polish relatives who will sleep on the couch in the living room tonight and they are all dirinking Polish strong-beer right now.

[Polak]

I'm going to a polish pub in a couple of minutes(also to drink some nice Polish beer, Warka Strong, Zywiec, Tyskie, Lech, EB etc.), but I am afraid that I already know what the outcome of this game will be...
If Poland wins this game, then I will mail a bottle of wodka to all moderators in the General forum and one to the Onkel!

[Egan]

Gonna be a good one. My money is on the Poles, actually, I think they might well come out on top here.

[Winston]

2-1 to Germany. I think the home crowed will lift them a bit.

[Skybird]

Puh. In the middle it was a terrible strain for the German team, but in the last third of the match their superiority was obvious,and luck was against them. 16:0 shots for the last 15 minutes, many of them of very big callibre. Several 100% chances before. Too sad for the Polish that the goal was so close to the end, but nevertheless a highly deserved German victory which really should have resulted in a far better score than just 1:0.

And German defense very much improved, which is the real message of this game. the strong offense and left midfield is now joined by two or three very good defenders.

Judging by the matches so far, the Spanish and the Germans are the top favourites for me, where as Brazil was the biggest dissappointment - they need to improve dramatically in order to have a say in this tournament.

[fargel]

Wooooohoooooo! Germany beat Poland 1-0!!!!

If i remember correctly, they scored over the 90 minute mark at 91:45? somewhere around that. but they won! wooohoooo!

the polish had one hell of a stubborn defence, and that polish goalkeeper, damn he was good. but the german squad needs to improve still if they want to win.

[Frenssen]

Good game by Germany, unlucky not to win by more goals. Lahm was MoM once again. Poland were way too defensive in a match they needed to win, or maybe they simply were outplayed?

[Polak]

.......................................

[Skybird]

Don't cry. Some of our players carry a part of Poland in their heart and will make sure that you're still with us!