A reformed Germany

The Germany that Spain found in the semifinals of the World Cup had little to do with the one that it defeated in the final of the last Eurocup. Joachim Löw knew how to successfully introduce several of the great promises that had appeared in the country in recent years and that unseated Spain from the top in lower categories. In fact, only 9 of the 23 summoned for South Africa repeat with respect to Austria and Switzerland. In the case of Spain, this figure stood at 15.

The revolution resulted, fundamentally, in five new and young faces that carved out a niche for themselves in the German eleven, giving it greater freshness and quality. They are Neuer, Boateng, Khedira, Özil and Müller. The first four dazzled the summer of 2009 in the U-21 European Championship in Sweden, whose final they won after thrashing England (4-0) and in which they also measured Spain in the group stage (0-0). For his part, Müller exploded shortly after, in the preseason of Bayern Munich, with which a magnificent campaign has curdled.

The farewell of several flagships, almost all of them untouchable until recently, also served for the German mutation. Lehmann, Metzelder, Frings, Hitzlsperger and, above all, Ballack left a gap due to technical decision or injury who have known how to take advantage of all those young people who came from behind.

It is much more different in the Spanish case, comparing the sets of 2008 and 2010. Del Bosque kept the champion block, although with his legacy in the starting eleven of Piqué, Busquets and Xabi Alonso.

Joachin Löw's main concern for the semifinals was finding a replacement for Müller, who was penalized. The coach considered two options, with a twenty-year-old Toni Kroos or Trochowski, who would later end up signing for Sevilla. The 4-2-3-1 seemed untouchable and so it ended up being. The chosen one would be Trochowski, more used to playing in the band than the now Real Madrid player.