Tag Archives: Germany

Germany Wins a Battle of the Old Guard

“As appetizers go, it was more of a dessert: a World Cup quarterfinal at Estádio do Maracanã between two European powerhouses featuring 22 starting players who play club soccer in England, Spain, France, Italy or Germany. For much of the world, it was a heavyweight fight contested in one of the sport’s greatest venues. Here, of course, it was a distinct undercard. Brazil defeated Colombia, 2-1, later Friday afternoon in a game so big it prompted the Colombian government to declare a national holiday.” NY Times

France 0 Germany 1
“Germany became the first nation to reach four consecutive World Cup semi-finals as Mats Hummels’ early header proved enough to see them past France at the Maracana. The three-time champions needed extra time to beat Algeria in the last 16 and suffered a bout of illness in midweek, but they were comfortable victors over a disappointing France in Rio de Janeiro. Hummels got the better of Raphael Varane to score what proved to be the winning goal and Germany can now prepare for a meeting with Brazil in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday after the hosts beat Colombia.” BBC

World Cup: Germany defeats France to reach semifinals
“It’s a demon buried deep within the French psyche — a demon which refuses to be exorcized. A word which brings shivers down the spine and strikes a fear into the heart of the country’s football fans. In Rio de Janeiro, the ghosts of years past haunted France again — the ‘Angstgegner’ returned. Germany, the ‘bogey team’ as it is known in France, wrote another painful chapter into Les Bleus’ World Cup history on Friday. A 1-0 victory secured Germany’s place in the semifinals for a record fourth consecutive tournament. But unlike in 1982 and 1986, when Germany defeated the French in the last four on both occasions, this was not a battle of epic proportions. There was not the drama, nor the controversy — but the end result was the same.” CNN

Germany 2-1 Algeria (AET): Algeria press and counter-attack brilliantly

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“Germany’s quality eventually shone through, but Algeria produced one of the best tactical performances of the tournament. Mats Hummels was out injured, so Jogi Low moved Jerome Boateng into the middle and brought Shkodran Mustafi into the side at right-back. Vahid Halilhodzic again made huge changes to his side – he switched five players from the XI which drew against Russia, including four of his front six. Interestingly, he didn’t select anyone who was a booking away from suspension. Algeria had a very obvious gameplan here, and with more composure in the final third, it could have resulted in a famous victory…” Zonal Marking

Mourning Algeria’s Cruel, Beautiful Loss to Germany
“Is there such a thing as a beautiful defeat? If I believed there was, I would call the Algeria-Germany match just that. Algeria played gorgeously, joyfully, unafraid, and unfettered. And Germany was clearly afraid, on the defense for much of the game, a little surprised perhaps to be facing one of their toughest challenges in recent history from the Fennecs. For many, many minutes, it felt like Algeria would score, and would win. And yet there was, as we all watched, that terrible feeling in the gut that comes whenever a team you are supporting is playing Germany. The sense of the inevitable: the gloom of knowing that, however much you might dream of something different, there is a relentless truth in the World Cup: more often than not, Germany wins no matter how hard you pray for something else to happen.” New Republic

Germany pushed to the limit
“Here are three thoughts from Germany’s hard-fought 2-1 win over Algeria in the World Cup round of 16. 1. History drives Algeria on, but not far enough. History didn’t repeat itself, but it did have a few echoes. After a somewhat harsh elimination for an admirable Algeria side, Germany will meet France in a heavyweight quarterfinal. The game did not involve all the controversy of 1982, but it was still difficult not to feel some sympathy for the North African side. They pushed Germany to the edge, and almost out of the competition.” ESPN

World Cup: Germany survive scare against Algeria to reach quarterfinals
“Extra-time goals from Mesut Ozil and Andre Schurrle spared Germany’s blushes against Algeria in the World Cup last 16 tie at Port Alegre on Monday. Following 90 minutes of stalemate it was Joachim Low’s side who finally broke the deadlock in the second minute of extra time when Thomas Muller squared the ball for Schurrle to cleverly back heal the ball past goalkeeper Rais Mbolhi. Ozil drilled in a shot to double the lead in the final minute of the second extra period before Abdelmoumene Djabou pulled one back for Algeria in injury time. It was a cruel end to what was a brave performance by Vahid Halilhodzic’s side who were looking to settle an old score from the 1982 World Cup.” CNN

The Secret History Behind Today’s Algeria-Germany #WorldCup Match
“Today, Germany’s Mannschaft will face Algeria’s Fennecs at Porto Alegre, after both teams made it through the group stage of the FIFA World Cup. Though it has yet to be played, the match is already being hailed as an historic, even epic, event. Why? Because it represents the first time the Algerian squad has progressed to the final sixteen at a World Cup. Its larger symbolism, however, is rooted in a longstanding Algerian resistance to French colonialism, which underpinned the secret history of Algerian-German football relations.” Imperial & Global Forum

The Germans Are Young, in Their Prime, And Really, Really Good

“In the fall of 2000, 11-year-old soccer wunderkind Thomas Muller left TSV Pahl, the local team near his hometown of Weilheim in Oberbayern, and joined Bayern Munich’s youth academy. That same year, 22-year-old Miroslav Klose was co-leading the Bundesliga club FCK in goals, becoming a star in his own right. Fourteen years later, they’re both on the same Germany squad, with Muller chasing the World Cup goals record that Klose just tied. In Germany, one generation is being eclipsed by the next. On Thursday, the United States will have to tussle with both. The U.S. faces Muller, Klose and the rest of the German juggernaut in a match that FiveThirtyEight’s World Cup prediction model gives the Americans only a 15 percent chance of winning.” fivethirtyeight

Dispatch from Berlin: Germany v. Germany
“Here in Berlin, despite the disagreeable weather, World Cup fever is now fully epidemic. There’s hardly a bar or restaurant that hasn’t got a large flat screen TV set up for the benefit of its smoking, drinking, screaming football clientele. The other night, sitting outside at a Mediterranean place in Kreuzberg, I could hear the TVs of the neighboring restaurants echoing across the square, as though the world’s most intricate surround sound system had been installed here.” 8by8

World Cup As a Bandwagon Fills, a Team Fails Forward

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“The United States soccer players seemed to pass the ball to Germany more often than they did to their own teammates. Late in the game, two Americans — Jermaine Jones and Alejandro Bedoya — were left splayed on the field after running into each other and knocking heads. Jones had also hit the turf earlier when he ran at full speed into the referee. No matter. After their World Cup match here on Thursday, a 1-0 loss, the American players hugged, high-fived and pumped their fists, while their coach flashed a goofy grin. Their fans, soggy from the torrential rain, chanted: ‘U-S-A, U-S-A.’ Weird thing, this World Cup. It generously laid a giant red, white and blue welcome mat at the back door. The United States escaped the Group of Death by enduring a lot of self-inflicted wounds but never fully losing its pulse. As if by miracle, even in defeat, the United States will advance to the Round of 16, and it is scheduled to play Belgium on Tuesday.” NY Times

World Cup Tactical Analysis: USA 0-1 Germany | Germany expose and dominate wide areas
“On the last day of the group phase, one of the most exciting groups, Group G, drew to an exciting close. All 4 teams were in with a shot of going through to the next round. There was a lot of tension in the air in the build up to this game as a draw was enough to take both sides through, and many had doubts after Germany’s performance against Austria in the 1982 World Cup. That aside though, this was also set to be a very tough game as two very evenly matched sides very going up against one another. Coach Jogi Low, who was assistant to Jurgen Klinsmann during the latter’s time in charge of Die Manschaft went up against his former colleague as well, to add some more spice to the occasion.” Outside of the Boot

U.S. Moves On With Assist From Portugal
“This time, there was no moment. No tingle in the spine, no shiver in the neck, no blood rush to the ears. There was no memory that will live on in hearts and minds and YouTube videos forever. This time, there was only this: About 10 minutes before the end of the United States national team’s World Cup game against Germany on Thursday, a U.S. Soccer staff member sidled up to one of Coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s assistants and informed him that Portugal, playing simultaneously about 1,200 miles away in Brasília, had taken a one-goal lead against Ghana. The assistant, Andi Herzog, then turned to his left on the bench and tapped Klinsmann on the arm.” NY Times

U.S. needs possession to continue run
“The emotional ups and downs the U.S. went through in surviving Group G required a year’s supply of Dramamine. The Americans withstood withering pressure to beat Ghana 2-1, played brilliantly before coughing up a late equalizer against Portugal and finally concluded group play with a 1-0 defeat to Germany. Omar Gonzalez summed up the experience perfectly when he said, ‘Last game’s draw felt like a loss, and today’s loss felt like a win. It’s pretty weird.’ Taking the big picture view, the Americans had every reason to feel joyful. The U.S. had emerged from arguably one of the two toughest groups in the tournament, a magnificent achievement that many observers thought was beyond this side.” ESPN

Group G – ESPN

Group G						Overall
POS	TEAM		PTS	GD		P	W	D	L	F	A
1	Germany		7	5		3	2	1	0	7	2
2	United States		4	0		3	1	1	1	4	4
3	Portugal		4	-3		3	1	1	1	4	7
4	Ghana		1	-2		3	0	1	2	4	6

World Cup Tactical Analysis: Argentina 1-0 Iran

“The two teams could not have been further in reputation, Argentina being one of the favourites to challenge for the World Cup, and Iran being one of the ‘favourites’ to get knocked out in the group stages. It was most definitely a David vs Goliath situation. But still, the match had attracted quite a lot of build up considering both the teams’ contrasting strengths. Argentina’s mighty attack versus Iran’s extremely pragmatic approach was always going to be an entertaining contest.” Outside of the Boot

World Cup Tactical Analysis: Germany 2-2 Ghana
“Today, after a first 45 minutes of two sides feeling each other out, we saw a brilliant 2nd half which ultimately failed to separate the two sides. In fairness a 2-2 draw was probably a fair result as it highlighted Germany’s ability to penetrate Ghana’s defense but also rewarded Ghana’s sharp counter-attack and punished Germany’s lack of pace on the back line.” Outside of the Boot

Talent Radar: Mario Götze improves his defensive contribution in Germany’s 2-2 World Cup draw with Ghana

“In what turned out to be a hugely attractive encounter in one of the most open and end-to-end 2014 World Cup games, Germany & Ghana played out an enthralling 2-2 draw with fast paced counter-attacking football at it’s best. The two sides had met at the previous World Cup as well with the Europeans getting the win, but this time it seemed more likely that we’d witness an African triumph until the legendary Miroslav Klose turned up and scored his record equaling 15th World Cup goal.” Outside of the Boot

An Enduring Touch Proves as Essential as Ever
“The shaky front flip was not vintage Miroslav Klose, but the critical goal that led to it was definitely a classic Klose poach. Even if he is now an injury-prone, 36-year-old substitute, playing for Germany still brings out the essential man in Klose, and less than two minutes after he trotted onto the field in Fortaleza, Brazil, he smelled a chance and pounced. The far post has been one of his happiest hunting grounds through the years, and after his teammate Benedikt Höwedes flicked on a Toni Kroos corner kick, Klose was already moving toward empty space near the goal line, a half-step and a fully formed thought ahead of the closest Ghana defender.” NY Times

World Cup 2014: Germany Ties Ghana as Miroslav Klose Ties Goals Record
“Ghana held Germany to a 2-2 tie on Saturday in Fortaleza, Brazil, although the veteran striker Miroslav Klose came on as a substitute to match the World Cup scoring record with the tying goal in a highly entertaining Group G match. Klose has 15 career World Cup goals, equaling the mark set by the former Brazil star Ronaldo. Klose scored the equalizer in the 71st minute, less than two minutes after coming on, when a corner by Toni Kroos was flicked to the far post by Benedikt Höwedes, and Klose slid in to knock the ball in.” NY Times

Pepe’s Headbutt Earned Him a Red Card. But Does Anger Sometimes Help Players, Too?

“On Monday, with his team already down 2-0 to Germany, Portugal’s Pepe let his anger get the better of him. After his hand struck Germany’s Thomas Muller in the face—sending the player to the ground, perhaps overdramatically—Pepe headbutted him for good measure. That earned Pepe a red card, ejecting him from the game and all but guaranteeing a loss. That’s an example of how anger can hurt your performance in an athletic competition. But does anger sometimes help, too?” New Republic

The Improbable Goal-Scoring Prowess of Germany’s Thomas Muller
“At the tender age of 24—an age when most players are just arriving on the international stage—Thomas Müller has won the Champions League, Best Young Player of World Cup 2010, the Bundesliga (three times), and the German Cup (three times). He has played in three Champions League finals, two European Championships, and has now scored eight goals (and counting) in two World Cups. After scoring a hat-trick in Germany’s resounding 4-0 victory against Portugal Monday night, the Bavarian is on track to become the first player ever to defend the Golden Boot, which he won in 2010. It’s been much publicized that Muller’s teammate, the 36-year-old Miroslav Klose, is on a quest to overhaul Ronaldo’s record World Cup tally of 15 goals. Maybe it isn’t Ronaldo that Klose should worry about, but Muller.” New Republic

World Cup Tactical Analysis: Germany 4-0 Portugal
“Controlling. Quick. Decisive. Dominant. Undisciplined. Slow. Sloppy. Subordinate. This game really was a tale of two sides: one prepared for the World Cup and one completely ill-prepared for the same occasion. It was utter euphoria for the Germans and utter embarrassment for the Portuguese. Thomas Müller registered a hat trick with Hummels grabbing the other of Germany’s four goals. Portugal never looked like they had even shown up to the game.” Outside of the Boot

Germany vs. Portugal Highlights

Germany: need the right combination upfront

“Germany have reached at least the semi-finals of the last four major international tournaments without winning any. Frankly, it’s about time that changed. It’s worth remembering Germany went into the 2010 World Cup with many key players relatively unknown outside of Germany. The likes of Mesut Ozil, Thomas Muller, Jerome Boateng, Manuel Neuer and Sami Khedira were very raw, yet were rightly thrown in at the deep end and proved extremely capable. By Euro 2012, Jogi Low could add Mario Gotze, Marco Reus and Andre Schurrle. Now, he can add Julian Draxler.” Zonal Marking

World Cup 2014 Tactics: Analysing Germany’s tactical approach, formation and set up

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“The Paradox of Choice. Analysis Paralysis. Kid in a candy store. All of these phrases seek to explain having too many options to effectively choose one solution. These are very apt phrases to explain the plight of Germany Manager Joachim Löw when attempting to select the attackers in Die Nationalmannschaft. Despite the defense and holding portions of his midfield being largely decided before the tournament begins, the attacking portions of his team are so full of options and combinations that it will be difficult for the sweater-clad manager to find the right blend of creativity and directness in his front four.” Outside of the Boot

World Cup Heores | Oliver Kahn: leader of men, goalkeeper extraordinaire and World Cup Legend

“What is a legend? Does winning define a legend? Building on the above questions, what would an individual’s first thoughts be when he thinks about a World Cup Legend? The first images that flash by the mind are those depicting the player raising the illustrious WC Trophy in his hands. Obvious logic takes over when categorizing a player as a World Cup legend, he has to have won a World Cup trophy. History however has shown the world exemplary examples of individuals standing up and being greater than life.” Outside of the Boot

Jürgen Klinsmann’s Soccer Mandate

“If you talk with Germans about Jürgen Klinsmann’s ill-fated stint as the coach of F.C. Bayern Munich, it’s only a matter of time until they bring up the matter of the Buddha statues. After arriving in July of 2008 at Bayern—the free-spending New York Yankees-style hegemon of the German soccer league—Klinsmann’s first intervention was to personally oversee an overhaul of the team’s training center. The local press openly wondered whether the movie theatre, the so-called ‘quiet room,’ and the high-end d.j. console that he installed had much, if anything, to do with soccer, but they seemed willing to give Klinsmann the benefit of the doubt.” New Yorker

World Cup 2014: Guide to Germany’s Group G

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“Style & formation: Blessed with far more flair than many Germany sides of the past, their fluid 4-2-3-1 is underpinned by Bastian Schweinsteiger and the currently injured Sami Khedira anchoring the side from the base of midfield. Ahead of them lies creative fulcrum Mesut Ozil, who is usually flanked by the dangerous Marco Reus and Thomas Muller.” BBC – Germany, Portugal, Ghana, USA

Fascism & Football: The political history of Spanish football

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“Spain had been a notable absentee from the 1938 World Cup. The country was being torn apart by Leftist Republicans and a coalition of Nationalist Forces led by General Francisco Franco. The Spanish Civil War was instrumental in bringing three most powerful Fascist leaders together. In 1937, Mussolini sent a considerable number of men to support his Fascist ally. German involvement in the War began immediately as Adolf Hitler immediately sent powerful air and armoured units to assist Franco and his Nationalist forces along with considerable economic loans. By 1939, Franco was successful in curbing the last outbursts of his Republican resistance, including and importantly, the capital of Catalonia, Barcelona. In one week alone in the last year of struggle, 10,000 members of the anti-Franco brigade were executed in Barcelona. A further 25,000 were shot after the ceasefire in the city.” Outside of the Boot

Fascism and Football: How Italy won the 1934 and 1938 World Cup
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Fascism & Football: When Germany were the inferior team
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Mussolini’s Football
Soccer Politics

Soccer Players You Need to Know Before the World Cup: Thomas Muller

“Thomas Muller gets more tangible results from intangible skills than any player in any sport on the face of the planet. Usually, when we talk about intangibles we talk about players who do the little things: glue guys, clubhouse guys, guys who are willing to put in the dirty work other players won’t. But that’s not Muller. Thomas Muller scores goals. He scores them all the time; he’s regularly a top goal-scoring contributor on perhaps the best club team in the world, Bayern Munich, and one of the best national teams in the world, Germany. But exactly how he gets them? That’s the intangible.” Grantland

Bayern’s double allows Pep Guardiola to exhale after suffocating first season

“Don’t read on if you still want to view the box set, but season one of Breaking Pep, a fish-out-of-water tale about a clever man trying to come up with the winning formula in an alien world of unreliable underlings and a grilled meats-empire boss who hides a dark secret, finished with a big cliffhanger on Saturday night: THE. MOLE. IS. STILL. OUT. THERE. Guardiola had first embarked on a hunt for the informer inside his own ranks in November, when Bild had revealed Bayern Munich‘s long-ball tactics for the away game at Dortmund before kick-off.” Guardian

Bundesliga 2013/14 End of Season Awards

“The readers of Outside of the Boot have cast their votes across Europe’s top 4 leagues across 10 different award categories with 4 nominees under each to pick the players who they believe deserved recognition the most. The Bundesliga 2013/14 End of Season Awards were the most closely competed one, with most categories lacking a clear winner. Note that no club has more than one representative in a particular product category.” Outside of the Boot

Where did it go wrong for Pep at Bayern?

“In December 2013, Bundesliga Fanatic published my first article about Bayern München entitled Bayern’s Lost wunderkinds and while the response was rather positive, most of the readers wanted to me to accept the current situation because the results were going the right way and because Bayern were already cruising towards the Bundesliga title and the Champions League Round of 16. However, after the trashing Die Roten just received at the hands of Real Madrid, I feel that I have the duty to highlight what a lot of the fans knew quite early in the season: The results were going the right way but the performances weren’t. So what really went wrong for Pep Guardiola’s Bayern? Was his tenure overhyped or was it a case of unwanted arranged marriage?” Bundesliga Fanatic

The Question: is this the end for tiki-taka?

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“People are unhappy. They’re unhappy at teams like Bayern Munich who keep the ball, preserving possession and looking to pass opponents into submission, and they’re unhappy at teams like Chelsea who defend deep, allow opponents to have the ball and try to pick them off on the break. People, over the past fortnight, have declared themselves bored by – and opposed to – both proactive and reactive football. That’s not actually as contradictory as it sounds. We live in an age of extremes. When Barcelona first started to play tiki-taka under Pep Guardiola, they began to achieve unprecedented levels of possession. For the first time probably since Arrigo Sacchi’s Milan almost two decades previously, there was a new philosophy about.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Why ‘tiki-taka’ was not to blame for Bayern’s loss
“For some reason, narratives need to be dumbed down and simplified, while judgments must be sweeping and absolute. Bayern are humiliated over two legs by Real Madrid and it becomes a case of the “end of tiki-taka”: evidence of the futility of wanting to keep possession at all costs. It’s the triumph of athleticism over skill, destruction over creation, pragmatism over idealism, simple over baroque, the rumpled suit, down-home country gentleman ways of Carlo Ancelotti versus the skinny-tie, urban metrosexual over-sophistication of Pep Guardiola.” ESPN (Video)

Verzweifelt und Verflixt
“On the way to work this morning I’d be stuck in traffic, and and after fiddling a bit with the car’s in-built MP3 player I’d randomly spin the control to a random track. It would land on the Tyrolean folk group Die Ursprung Buam – and a typically foot-tapping ditty called Verzweifelt und verflixt – crudely translated, ‘desperate and confounded’. These two words would sum up my mood completely having witnessed FC Bayern being torn apart by Real Madrid in what had been billed as another night of glory at the Allianz Arena, where my dreams of seeing Bayern in another Champions’ League final would turn into ninety minutes of sheer hell I would never be able to get back.” Bundesliga Fanatic

Bayern Munich 0-4 Real Madrid: Tactical Analysis | Set Pieces & lack of penetration
“This is the time of the year when the going gets tough, and the teams that eventually go on to claim the honours in May, really take their game to a different level. The Champions League semi final is a match that needs not only preparation and hard work in training, but also a bit of luck, and some performances that are at another level. Last season, Lewandowski stole the show against Real, and Bayern’s collective brilliance was too much for Barcelona. This season though, the tables have been turned on Bayern Munich, as Real Madrid, led by Carlo Ancelotti, executed a devastating counter attacking plan to leave Bayern on the wrong end of a 5-0 aggregate score line. Guardiola’s possession based approach, which has certainly had it’s day, now looks like a bit outmoded.” Outside of the Boot

Real Madrid Slam the Door on Bayern Munich
“The three, three chief weapons of the Spanish inquisition are speed, set piece headers, Cristiano free kicks, and … and I think it’s probably time to stop the extended Monty Python metaphor. But, rest assured, I could go on and include things like how Luka Modric is developing into the evolutionary Xavi right before our eyes, or how Angel di Maria has once again been asked to change positions and roles and managed it with total aplomb.” Grantland

Savio Nsereko: A Fallen Prodigy Seeking Redemption

“Throughout his tender, yet turbulent, career, the boy they simply call ‘Savio’ has veered off-the-grid towards the lonely space of forgotten capability. But if you squint, you’ll notice that the former West Ham United teenager is still there, still cutting in from the left, looking for space to shoot. Savio Nsereko was born in war-ridden Kampala, Uganda in 1989, before fleeing for Germany with his family when he was just a baby. His father died when he was only two years old, leaving his mother a single parent struggling to raise five kids. As with so many impoverished children throughout the world, Savio found relief on the football pitch. At 15 he entered 1860 Munich’s youth academy, from which he attracted the attention of Brescia’s sporting director, Gianluca Nani, who had famously been behind the developmental progress of Andrea Pirlo and Luca Toni. Savio signed with the Serie B club in 2005.” In Bed With Maradona

Know Your Enemy: Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer

“Success came early to Manuel Neuer, so it’s perhaps no surprise to learn that he was only 2 when he was given his first ball. He was born and grew up in Gelsenkirchen, attending the Gesamtschule Berger Feld, a school that has become famous for the number of footballers it has produced. Neuer was a classmate of Mesut Ozil — which added a frisson when he saved a penalty from Ozil while playing for Bayern Munich against Arsenal in the Champions League this season.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Bayern need pace but it’s far too early to herald the end of possession football

“You will remember that classic scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark when Indiana Jones is confronted by a smirking, cackling thug-assassin swathed in black and red and clutching a scimitar. The blade is shuffled from hand to hand, teased and flipped and twirled, its edge directed at every point of the compass whilst never threatening a kill. And then Indy pulls out a gun and shoots.” Guardian

Real Madrid 1-0 Bayern Munich: Tactical Analysis | Solid defense & quick counter wins it

“With 14 Champions League titles between them, this match was always going to be special. Two of the biggest, most decorated and in-form teams in World football faced off at the Sanitago Bernabeu in the 1st leg of their Champions League semi-final. It was a closely fought battle, and a contrast of two different approaches. While one dominated, the other emerged victorious.” Outside of the Boot

Champions League: Real Madrid strikes, holds firm in win over Bayer

“Fabio Coentrao was excellent at left back, keeping Arjen Robben relatively quiet and getting forward well to link with Cristiano Ronaldo. Right back Daniel Carvajal dealt superbly with Franck Ribery, and Karim Benzema led the line with great intelligence, but for Real Madrid this was a victory rooted in defensive discipline. As ever Xabi Alonso was a mode of calm, sitting just in front of the back four, but the key for Madrid was Modric.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

An Englishman’s English Week in Bavaria

“Having just returned from our third successive pre-Christmas trip to Germany, my brother and I had no desire to wait another year for our next dose of live Bundesliga action. The upcoming “English Week” in March was too big an opportunity to miss and when the fixtures were finalised our preferred Bavarian excursion fell perfectly into place. We were fortunate to find a direct flight to Nürnberg and having arrived on Friday afternoon we set about familiarising ourselves with the city that would provide a base for the opening five days of our stay. As has become customary, our attention primarily focussed on the local Brauhäuser so our first port of call was the nearby Hausbrauerei Altstadthof, where the traditional red beer proved a treat. We then moved on to the large cellar location of Barfusser to sample some more Franconian specialities that went down equally well.” Bundesliga Fanatic

Bayern Munich 3-1 Manchester United: Guardiola uses his full-backs in midfield, but Bayern better with a standard system

“Pep Guardiola played an unusual system, but it didn’t help Bayern break down Manchester United. Guardiola fielded Toni Kroos in the pivot role, with Thomas Muller in midfield and Mario Mandzukic returning upfront. David Moyes brought Shinji Kagawa and Darren Fletcher into his midfield, and recalled Patrice Evra and Chris Smalling at the back. The pattern of the game wasn’t significantly different from the first leg, and the major talking point was Guardiola’s use of his two full-backs.” Zonal Marking

Bayern Munich 3-1 Manchester United: Tactical Analysis | Guardiola’s smart use of Lahm & Alaba
“Bayern Munich came into the game at Allianz Arena as clear favourites having been slightly disappointed with just a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. A 0-0 would have been enough, but certainly Bayern Munich were always going to go for the win. Man United knew they had to score atleast once to stand a chance of progressing, a task in itself. Despite a dominating performance from Bayern, the sides went in 0-0 at half time. Patrice Evra gave United a surprise lead early in the second half, only for it to be tied again 22 seconds later as Mandzukic equalised. Goals from Muller and Robben saw Bayern comfortably through to the semi-finals with the final score being Bayern Munich 3-1 Manchester United.” Outside of the Boot

Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Real Madrid: Tactical Analysis | Klopp’s men work harder, but fall short

“Borussia Dortmund came into the game knowing that they had to pull off nothing short of a miracle to stand any chance of getting past Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals. They knew that even a repeat of their 4-1 triumph last season at home, wouldn’t be enough. Jurgen Klopp had to go for the win, while a Ronaldo-less Real Madrid knew that even one goal would be enough. It was vital then that Dortmund came out the stronger attacking side, they needed the victory more than their opponents and were ensuring that they controlled the game. When Madrid received a penalty, it seemed like ‘game-over’ but the save from Weidenfeller spurred the side on. Two quick goals by Reus before half-time changed the complexion of the game, and if it wasn’t for some poor Mkhitaryan finishing, Dortmund would have (at the very least) ensured extra time.” Outside of the Boot

Champions League semi-finals: how last four teams compare

“Can Atlético Madrid last the pace? Will Pep Guardiola’s tinkering harm Bayern Munich’s hopes? Does José Mourinho have the right gameplan and will Real Madrid’s forward line be too strong for everyone? Here we analyse all four teams” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Real Madrid 3-0 Borussia Dortmund: Tactical Analysis

“Real Madrid came into this game as favorites even though things didn’t go their way in the same tie a year back. This was partly due to change of manager for Madrid and partly due to the injury problems Dortmund are facing. The most missed absentee here was Lewandowski who was out through suspension as he had put four past Madrid when they met in Germany last year. Madrid started with a very flexible 4-3-3 shape with full backs pushing on and B-B-C given license to roam and swap places. The most interesting thing was the positioning of Isco. He was expected to start in a much higher role, behind the striker but instead was a straight swap for Di Maria who missed due to injury. He flourished in the deep role and deservedly got goal.” Outside of the Boot

André Schürrle withdrawal allows PSG’s potent trio to dominate Chelsea

“The general consensus was that José Mourinho had erred on playing André Schürrle as a false nine on Wednesday night, yet it was after he had gone off to be replaced by Fernando Torres that Paris Saint-Germain scored twice. That’s a simplistic way of looking at things, and Torres had barely been on the field when David Luiz conceded a needless free-kick and then put through his own goal to give PSG the lead, but it does tally with Mourinho’s post-match claim that Chelsea had ‘controlled’ the game until Torres came on because of the way Schürrle kept ‘dropping deep’.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson (Video)

Whither Marc-Andre ter Stegen?

“The shockwaves were felt far and wide. FIFA announced earlier this week that FC Barcelona had been found guilty of skirting the rules barring the international transfer of underage players. Of course, few football observers would be truly shocked at the idea of a major football power playing fast and loose with the rules. Perhaps the more-skeptical among the underwhelmed would say the real stunner was that FIFA was taking action of any sort. But the news item that pushed Barcelona’s Champions League semifinal to ‘in other news’ status was the punishment: no transfer action for the club over the coming two transfer periods. In other words, no player not currently under contract with FC Barcelona will be moving to the Catalan giants this summer, nor in the winter to follow.” Bundesliga Fanatic

David Moyes’ simple tactic helps Manchester United match Bayern

“Midfield? Who needs a midfield anyway? In fact who needs the ball at all? For 66 minutes at Old Trafford it looked as though David Moyes might have mustered one of the more defiantly retro tactical triumphs of recent years. On a night that began slowly but built to a second-half barrage of rolling noise, Manchester United produced an intriguingly old-school performance of condensed, fast-breaking, midfield-bypassing football, the kind of football that might have come served up drizzled with horseradish and spritzed with gravy and labelled modern British with a twist.” Guardian

Bayern Munich stretched by Danny Welbeck’s pace for Manchester United
“When Manchester United’s starting XI was revealed around an hour before kick-off, there was confusion about whether David Moyes had selected a 4‑5‑1 formation with Wayne Rooney up front and Danny Welbeck on the left, or a 4‑4‑1‑1 with Rooney behind Welbeck. In the end, United actually played a hybrid of the two systems, and Welbeck’s positioning was the key to this tactical battle.” Guardian – Michael Cox

Manchester United, Atletico Madrid, and Two Goals, at the (Almost) Same Damn Time

“It’s really hard to watch two soccer matches at the same time. All of the things that make soccer a distinct sport — the lack of stoppages in play, the fluid transitions from attack to defense — also make it completely impossible to juggle more than one match at a time. Try to create a RedZone channel for soccer and you’ll end up with just a whole bunch of timely highlights. So, the Champions League quarterfinals scheduling two games at once makes for some angsty decisions. Which game to watch and which to simply be aware of? Sitting at the bar, which TV should I face, and which should I occasionally glance to my left to check in on? It’s an annoyance that the powers that be chose to schedule the world’s premier club competition this way. Except that, sometimes, it’s awesome.” Grantland

Jupp Heynckes vs Pep Guardiola Tactics: Were Bayern better last season than this season?

“This years Bayern Munich squad have been proclaimed as something of legendary. They are the nigh indestructible club that have laid waste to their opponents clinically and efficiently. Where Jupp Heynckes promoted a side with massive physical presence, Pep Guardiola created an appealing creative nature, one that has supporters screaming for more. The question is, are they better than they were last year? Such a question is best answered by retrospection. A perspective on the famous treble-winners’s two seasons (2012-13 and 2013-14) is what we offer. Here’s our analysis on the team…” Outside of the Boot

Bayern clinch a historic Bundesliga title

“‘It will not last forever,’ Martin says on this day in late March. Before the game, Berlin was hit by hail storms. Temperatures have gone down again, too. Spring, it feels, is still a faraway place. The fans outside the Olympiastadion still sport their between-season jackets; you can barely see the jerseys popping up underneath the collar. But on this very day, Bayern Munich were out to break another Bundesliga record — to win the fastest-ever Bundesliga title. Though mid-table Hertha Berlin made them sweat in the second half, Bayern’s 3-1 win took the Bavarians over the finish line.” ESPN

Know Your Enemy: Germany midfielder Toni Kroos

“Over the next three months, SI.com will profile two valuable, but perhaps undervalued, under-the-radar players on each of the U.S. men’s national team’s Group G opponents at this summer’s World Cup. As a result, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Mesut Ozil and Asamoah Gyan will make way for their lesser-heralded teammates in this space. The first in the Know Your Enemy series is Germany midfielder Toni Kroos.” SI – Jonathan Wilson (Video)

A pall is cast over a milestone victory for Bayern Munich

“Two goals in eight minutes either side of halftime, the first from Mario Mandzukic, the second from Bastian Schweinsteiger, were enough for Bayern Munich. This wasn’t one of its romps, when it seems it could put four or five past any opposition, but it was good enough to beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 and so extend Bayern’s unbeaten league run to an extraordinary 50 games.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Bayern’s Uli Hoeness: The Rise And Fall of a Soccer Saint

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“Uli Hoeness, the president of Bayern Munich and an icon of German club soccer, could end up behind bars for tax evasion. The case has highlighted the dark side of the skilful entrepreneur and philanthropist whose burning ambition made Bayern what it is today — and has now triggered his fall from grace. Although he is not sitting in jail awaiting trial, although he has not been convicted, although he can sit in a stadium dressed in a suit with a red-and-white scarf and can spend his nights at home, Uli Hoeness, the president of top German soccer club Bayern Munich, is already a prisoner. He is a prisoner of a small device — not an electronic shackle or a beacon that informs the authorities of his whereabouts. The device is a receiver. It informs its owner of developments on stock markets around the world, and Hoeness can’t stop himself from constantly staring at it.” Der Spiegel – Part 1: The Rise And Fall of a Soccer Saint, Part 2: Jail Sentence Possible, Part 3: Chatting With Merkel, Part 4: A Duopoly in the Bundesliga (May 1, 2013)

The rise and fall of Uli Hoeness – Bayern president will not appeal sentence
“Uli Hoeness has decided not to appeal against his three and a half year prison sentence for tax evasion and has offered his definitive resignation as president of Bayern Munich. Initially, after the sentence delivered yesterday by Judge Rupert Heindl, the 64-year-old defence team had claimed the right to appeal. However Hoeness said today that, after discussions with his family, he felt the only responsible action was to accept to sentence and also to step down from his positions with the world, European and German champions.” World Soccer

Arsenal gains morale from Bayern Munch draw, but little else

“Arsenal went to Munich seeking the impossible. That didn’t happen but the club did achieve probably the best it could realistically have hoped for: a decent performance and a draw that might provide the sort of jolt of self-belief that galvanized it last season after a victory in Munich. Back then it took 26 points form its last 10 Premier League matches to pinch fourth place from Tottenham Hotspur. A similar run this season might clinch it the league title. In terms of the specifics of overturning the 2-0 first-leg deficit, though, Arsenal never came close.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Bayern Munich 1-1 Arsenal: Tactical Analysis
“Arsenal put in a commendable performance against Bayern Munich at the Emirates stadium, two weeks back, but came away with nothing and a difficult second leg at the Allianz Arena their only hope. They were buoyed by the fact that they emerged victorious there last season, but still found themselves knocked out. The English side once again put in a stellar performance, which didn’t necessarily make them the better side, but did earn them the plaudits. For Bayern, it wasn’t their usual dominating performance but they were more deserving of the victory. They go through to the next round, full of confidence, and the title of ‘favourites’ still very much in tact.” Outside of the Boot

Lives lived for football

“It isn’t very often that football clubs win prizes, as opposed to trophies, unless they happen to be awards handed out by football associations. But last month, Borussia Moenchengladbach won a proper award. It goes by the name of the Future Prize 2014 and is handed out by the Israel Foundation in Germany. Gladbach earned it for having used ‘football as a bridge of understanding’ — as the foundation put it in the explanation. What this means is, quite simply, that no German club has done as much for improving relations between the two nations and peoples.” ESPN

Being bold is the best form of defence

“When Australia’s goals were flying in at the New Den against Ecuador a thought was going through my head; I’ve seen this film before. At the end of last May Ecuador took on Germany in an international played in the United States. It was just a couple of days after the all-German final of the UEFA Champions League between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Players from those clubs, who make up a considerable part of the first-choice Germany side, were not available. It was very much an experimental team that Germany coach Joachim Low fielded. Ecuador was near full strength.” The World Game – Tim Vickery

We Went There: A 72-Hour Whirlwind Tour of European Football

“Stuttgart’s Mercedes-Benz Arena used to be called the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion, which used to be called Neckarstadion, which used to be called Century Stadium, which was first called the Adolf-Hitler-Kampfbahn when it was built in 1935. And it was in the shadows of this stadium that I was handed a VIP card — with ‘Einttritt frei!’ on it — for a strip club called Macabu Four Roses. I don’t know if it was because we didn’t speak German and therefore couldn’t say ‘no,’ but people kept trying to hand us stuff. Our hands were full of beers and bratwurst — we’re tourists, all right? — but that didn’t stop the women from Commerzbank from coming over, multiple times, and handing us schedules for the World Cup. And it didn’t stop the older woman in the German-flag smoking jacket from slipping us a card for the only-€84.95 Germany Jacket, which she casually suggested we buy as an ‘alternative jersey’.” Grantland

Sticks and Stones

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“Jose Mourinho knows how to lie in a way that sounds deeper than the truth. Of his many usefully unscrupulous talents, this is one of the most useful and least scrupulous. He says things that he knows are untrue, and that you know are untrue, and that he knows you know are untrue, but that somehow or other just stick. In 2005, during his first run as the manager of Chelsea, he called Arsene Wenger a ‘voyeur’ when the Arsenal boss publicly questioned Mourinho’s transfer policy. It wasn’t fair, but neither is poetry. The jibe captured something weird and curdled in the impression the hawk-eyed Wenger makes; they were still talking about it in England eight years later. No one actually believes Wenger spends his free hours gazing into the rear courtyard, but that’s not the point. The goal of Mourinho’s lies isn’t to persuade you to believe anything. It’s to hit you at a level below belief, to shock your sense of reality into thinking it agrees with his.” Grantland – Brian Phillips

Fearing relegation, Fulham panics, turns to eccentric Magath

” If you think you’ve made a mistake, perhaps the best thing to do is to admit it and look to make amends as quickly as possible. But sacking a manager, then sacking his replacement 75 days later while getting rid of two other coaches you’d only just brought in, does look, as Rene Meulensteen said shortly after he’d been ousted from Fulham, like ‘pressing the panic button.’ Fulham lies at the bottom of the Premier League table, four points from safety with 12 games remaining, its fate in the hands of one of German football’s more controversial figures. Felix Magath won two doubles with Bayern Munich and then, astonishingly, he led Wolfsburg to the Bundesliga title, yet nobody who played for him ever seems to have enjoyed the experience.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Champions League Team of the Week

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“The first set of Champions League fixtures this week all went according to script as far as the results were concerned, with all four away sides taking large strides toward the quarterfinals with wins. Not only that, but none of the home teams were even able to register on the score sheet, and three of them had men sent off to make their improbable tasks near impossible.” ESPN

3. Liga Week 25 Review

“A rare occurrence took place in Matchday 25 of the 3. Liga and that was that there was not a single draw in all of the 10 matches that were played. This is most definitely a first for this season and something which hadn’t happened in the league since Matchday 24 of the 2010/2011 season. There must be something about February. This meant that big advantages were made or lost in this week, the former at the top of the table and the latter at the bottom. Also, all ten of the victories were one-goal advantages, which resulted in tight matches that were unresolved until the whistle went, some of them crucial three points for the victors.” Bundesliga Fanatic

The Question: how can Arsenal’s tactics tame Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich?

“Perhaps there is some encouragement to be drawn for Arsenal from the fact that last time they played Bayern Munich, they won. Perhaps there is some encouragement to be drawn from the thought that, last season, Bayern only beat them on away goals, that no side came as close to eliminating Bayern from the Champions League as they did. But then you think back to the first leg, to Bayern’s 3-1 win at the Emirates, and the gulf between the sides becomes obvious. Arsenal have improved since then, but so too have Bayern and, under Pep Guardiola, they are as tactically flexible as any side in Europe.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Can Bayern Munich Be Beaten?

“On Tuesday, Bayern Munich visit Arsenal in the first leg of the first knockout round of the UEFA Champions League. Bayern are the holders of the European Cup. In Germany, they’ve won 19, drawn two, and lost none. They are 16 points clear of the second-place team in the Bundesliga, and their bench could walk into almost any starting lineup in Europe. Some have suggested that Bayern’s biggest obstacle to repeating as Champions League winners is their complacency, but then some seem to forget that Bayern are managed by one of the great modern managers in Pep Guardiola. Last weekend, Bayern beat Freiburg 4-0. After the match, Guardiola made Bayern train, playing a practice match against themselves. So, no, they won’t be complacent. The questions is, can they be beaten?” Grantland

1950-51 East German Oberliga

“The East German Oberliga has a reputation for being one of the most manipulated sporting competitions the world has ever seen. The favouritism enjoyed by several big clubs in the 70s and 80s is relatively well-known, but the manipulation can be traced right back to the start of the league’s existence. Nothing illustrates the ridiculousness of the whole system better than the 1950-51 season.” Bundesliga Fanatic

Five big problems at Hamburg

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“Another match, another defeat. And that’s an experience that HSV fans have experienced eleven times this season, eleven times in nineteen matches, which is form worthy of relegation. And that’s more or less where HSV find themselves, in 16th place and in a playoff relegation spot, just four points ahead of bottom side Eintracht Braunschweig and two in front of Nürnberg, who could go above them if they win in Berlin against Hertha tomorrow. The sacking of Thorsten Fink and the appointment of Bert van Marwijk seemed to have triggered some sort of response from the players with some encouraging performances and results but it’s five straight defeats for HSV now and they are in free fall towards the 2. Bundesliga. So, what exactly needs changing at HSV?” Bundesliga Fanatic

Naming It Right

“In a Facebook discussion a while ago, Markus Hesselmann, online editor of Der Tagesspiegel, a newspaper based in Berlin discussed the names of English football clubs in German media. Hesselmann argued that some over-correct people often reminded others that it is not Arsenal London but only Arsenal. While the correctionists do have a point in this case, it is important to remember that there might be people unfortunate enough to not know where this mysteriously called football club ‘Arsenal’ might be located. There are several ways to find out: asking some one around, google it or watching German television. Most often than not, Arsenal becomes Arsenal London. Hesselmann has a point as he later in the discussion thread stated that a journalist’s task is also to educate, without the journalist becoming an educator or teacher.” Do not mention the war

‘We are Union, you are not’: Genuine fans saddened as criminals hijack the headlines in Sweden

“Football is as much about the 90 minutes on the pitch as spending time with your mates – an away match and one on European soil, heightens this feeling for the average fan. Pre-match drinks, a few songs perhaps and almost certainly exploring the cultural delights of a new country. However, a small minority from both sides used this game as a vehicle for violence. Let’s be clear. These people are criminals and should be dealt with. No true football fan throws flares at other fans, no true football fan throws a flare that narrowly misses their own goalkeeper and no true football fan rampages around Stockholm after a friendly looking for a fight. The behaviour described above, if proven beyond reasonable doubt, should see those people punished in the severest of terms. So far, this has been in the form of stadium bans.” Bundesliga Fanatic

Bayern in search of perfection

“The question is no longer whether Bayern Munich will win the league or not; the question is if they can do so without suffering a defeat. No side in Bundesliga history have gone unbeaten for an entire season. In fact, only a handful ever stood an honest chance. These are our nearly men…” ESPN

Bundesliga continues to break records as it grows

“As is customary ever year, the DFL (German League Association) released its annual report on the economic state of German yesterday and it further underlines the positive growth of not only the Bundesliga but German football as a whole with continuous record attendance and profitability. Much has been said about the performances of German clubs in Europe recently, along with the influx of young talents in first teams throughout the country as well as the performance of the national team but German football has also grown in leaps and bounds from a business and economic perspective in that same period. Growing attendance, economic prudence, sporting success and responsible cost control have resulted in record numbers across the board.” Bundesliga Fanatic

Are brilliant Bayern Munich making the Bundesliga boring?

“The German top-flight’s winter break should have been about rest and recuperation for Bundesliga players and coaches. But one question will have been driving them to distraction: how can we compete with Bayern Munich? After a five-week absence, the Bundesliga returns on Friday when the leaders – and defending champions – travel to Borussia Monchengladbach. Pep Guardiola’s men are seven points ahead of nearest rivals Bayer Leverkusen, with last season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund 12 points adrift in fourth, as the second half of the campaign kicks off.” BBC

Julian Draxler: Scout Report | The next big Bundesliga talent

“We’ve learnt in the past few years that Germany produces some of the best talents of World football. It is the DFB’s insistence on home-grown talents that has seen the national team flourish, and clubs like Bayern Munich to dominate the European stage. A look through the sides in the Bundesliga throws up a whole host of emerging talents; but the one that catches the eye more than all the others, is a certain Julian Draxler.” Outside of the Boot

The Bayern Supremacy: The most attractive club in the World

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“The abundance of football talent that’s on display for the entire world to see week-in week-out is unreal. What’s even more intriguing is the fact that so many players sustain the same level of performance over the span of the entire season. The quality of players in a club in a given season predominantly defines its chances of winning silverware in that season. However, in my opinion, success isn’t measured merely by the number of trophies a club has in its cabinet. There are other facets – such as a good reputation, loyal fans, consistent performances, etc., which can be built only in the long run. Therefore, a club that produces generations of quality players that consistently win trophies, creating history at every possible turn, is a lot more respectable and likable than clubs that achieve success overnight.” Outside of the Boot

The Best and Worst in German Football in 2013

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“It has been a great year for German football. The Champions League final this spring featured for the first time in the competition’s history two German teams on the pitch, Bayern have been breaking records left, right and centre and the Bundesliga seems to produce exciting story lines and talents almost on a weekly basis it seems. But, what have been the stand out players and moments, both good and bad, in the calendar year 2013? Our team of editors sat down to give their views about the subject!” Bundesliga Fanatic

Best XI of the 2013/14 Bundesliga Hinrunde
“With half of the season out of the way, there has been no shortages of surprises, excitement and the usual and expected Bayern Munich dominance in Germany’s top flight. The league maintained its reputation for great fan support, youthful exuberance and goals galore. Most of all, the Hinrunde was characterized by several outstanding individual performances. Unsurprisingly, a lot of those came from Bayern players but there were also many players who surprised and really took their game to the next level. Some were veterans who had somewhat of a comeback year while certain young players kept on making a name for themselves. Here are the standout performers of the 2013/14 Bundesliga season so far.” Bundesliga Fanatic

What has caused Borussia Dortmund’s disappointing form?

“Going into the winter break Borussia Dortmund sit fourth in the Bundesliga standings after collecting 32 points from the first 17 games. They are twelve points adrift of the defending champions Bayern Munich who have a game in hand. Even at just the halfway mark of the season, the title race appears over with the runaway leaders Bayern Munich seven points clear of Bayer Leverkusen having played a match less. Even with a managerial change, Bayern have simply continued from where they left last season.” Outside of the Boot

Football violence: a view from around the world

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Spartak Moscow fans displaying a Nazi flag during a game at Shinnik Yaroslavl.
“Brazil: violence around games on the rise. Brazil ends 2013 with a record in football violence deaths. It was a miracle that nobody died in the festival of thuggery that took place on 8 December at the Atlético Paranaense v Vasco de Gama match in Joinville, during the last round of the Campeonato Brasileiro, whose shocking images were beamed all around the world. That, however, did not prevent Brazilian football finishing its 2013 season with the saddest of milestones: the 30 deaths in football-related incidents this year is the highest number in the history of the game in the country. What’s more worrying is that fatal cases have been rising steadily in the past few years. …” Guardian

World Cup – and outbreak of supporter violence – link Brazil and Russia
“In six months’ time the World Cup will land in the home of joga bonito clad in a Fifa-approved wrapping of sun, sea and samba. But the dark side of the beautiful game in Brazil was in evidence earlier this month, when images of running battles between fans of Atlético Paranaense and Vasco da Gama shocked the watching world. The game was being held at a neutral ground in Joinville due to previous clashes between fans of the two clubs, but within 10 minutes Globo was broadcasting close-up footage of supporters repeatedly stamping on the heads of their rivals and chasing one another around the stadium bowl. Following a long interregnum, the fighting was eventually broken up by armed security firing rubber bullets into the crowds and an army helicopter landing on the pitch, but not before several fans were seriously injured.” Guardian