Germany look good but lack class of 1972

By Kevin Fylan

VIENNA (Reuters) - The Germany team that will face Spain in Sunday's Euro 2008 final has none of the style of the victorious 1972 vintage but the presence of Michael Ballack could be enough to achieve the same goal.

Ballack is no Franz Beckenbauer, of course, but he is one of the finest midfielders of his generation and he showed just how effective he can be with an inspirational display in the 3-2 quarter-final victory over Portugal.

Coach Joachim Loew deserves credit for Germany to the brink of a fourth European title, given that no one else in the squad merits serious comparison with their country's former greats.

They won their first European Championship in 1972 when, as West Germany, they defeated the Soviet Union 3-0 in the final.

Ask any German football fan, and you will be told that the 1972 team, coached by Helmut Schoen, was their best yet, better even than the team who won the World Cup two years later.

They had an excellent goalkeeper in Sepp Maier, a typically resilient defence and one of the greatest centre-forwards of all time in Gerd Mueller, with 68 goals for Germany in 62 games.

They also had Beckenbauer, but the reason the mere mention of the line-up can bring tears to German eyes is Guenter Netzer, a player who possessed such easy control and such an eye for a pass that he could run a game like few others.

BALLACK'S ROLE

There is no-one of that calibre in the current Germany team, where Ballack has to take care of most of the creative side as well as his defensive duties in midfield.

Goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has looked past his best, centre-backs Christoph Metzelder and Per Mertesacker are too nervous and the only real skill comes from the wide men, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski.

Comparisons are a little kinder when you look at Germany's victorious teams of 1980 and 1996.

The 1980 side, who beat Belgium 2-1 in the final, were inspired by the midfielder Bernd Schuster, who was just 20 at the time but already looked world class.

There were other great players, including the goalkeeper Harald Schumacher and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge but they relied more on their fierce determination than the sheer skill of 1972.

In 1996, it was a workmanlike team who took the trophy after a tense semi-final win over England and victory against the Czech Republic in the final.

Again, there were superb players like Juergen Klinsmann and Matthias Sammer but victory was down to perspiration rather than inspiration.