The Man in the Machine: Messi vs. Germany

When I first heard the nickname of the German national team, "Die Mannschaft", I guessed that in English it would translate to "The Machine."  This would have perfectly fit the squad's reputation: Cold and unfeeling, brutally efficient, and above all dominant.  It also perfectly fit the narrative going into their final fixture against Argentina and Lionel Messi: The one man against the evil empire; the super star against the deep team; the man against the machine.

                This was always a false narrative, although I'll admit that I didn't realize it until I watched the first few minutes of the final itself.  What I saw was not Messi weaving around German lines trying to make something happen for himself or his teammates.  Instead I saw the tightly coordinated German offense trying earnestly, and at first failing, to crack the stingy and sticky Argentinean defense. 

                The clockwork-like German offense had gotten its due coming into the match thanks to its unprecedented deconstruction of Brazil in the semifinal, but the same can't be said for Argentina's defenders, who had not conceded a single goal during the knockout stage going into the final match.  They plainly carried Argentina forward, given that their offense had scored only two goals of their own in those same three matches. 

                But the Messi narrative was strong, and in the group stage it was actually the correct narrative, as his four brilliant goals were the difference in all three matches.  But he was only one man, and despite the occasional flash of brilliance, he needed his defense to shut out the opposition just as much as they had needed him in the group stage.  And for the first twenty or thirty minutes of the final, it looked as if they were going to stay impenetrable even to the potent German opposition. 

                That's when the real story of the match became more apparent, with the German forwards and midfielders prodding and poking at the Argentine back third, at first unable to even enter the penalty box cleanly.  But they slowly worked their way in, creating chances which got better and better and the half went on.  It looked to be something of a race: Would Germany solve the Argentine defensive puzzle first, or would one of their increasingly common defensive errors be exploited by Argentina for what might be the only goal they would need.

                In the end, Argentina cracked first.  The machine had won.  But did it?  I mentioned earlier how I had believed that "Die Mannschaft" meant "The Machine" in German.  I found out recently that I was incorrect.  In actuality, it means "The Team." And I realized that nothing could be more fitting for this World Cup final.  These Germans were not cogs in a machine, they were men working together.  Far from faceless, I remember many of the players distinctly.  Thomas Müller and his brashness; Miroslav Klose's quiet determination; the heartbreak of Sami Khedira's warm up injury; Bastian Schweinsteiger's bloody perseverance in extra time, and of course Mario Götze's game winner for the ages. 

                This was never about the collective against the individual.  Football has always been and remains the most team-oriented of all team sports in the world.  There were simply two teams of eleven men on the pitch.  Germany's individuals were better, and their team was also better.  They are the best team in the world and now have the hardware to prove it.

Afterthought on the Golden Ball Award:

It's not completely clear why Lionel Messi was awarded the Golden Ball for best player of the tournament(the narrative I've already discussed has a lot to do with it, as well as his being the most popular player in the world) but not a lot of people seem to agree.  He was given credit for dragging Argentina through the tournament, which in the group stage was absolutely true.  But in the knockout round, teams keyed in on Messi as the Argentines' focal point, forcing the defense to step up to get the team through.  Some cite this extra attention as reason to give him the award, but I would instead point to the Netherlands' Arjen Robben, who was also the focal point of his team's offense and yet was not stopped in that same way. 

The Netherlands were only outscored by Germany in the tournament, and even in games when they struggled to finish in the penalty box, they consistently created tons of scoring chances.  No one was more responsible than Robben.  On most possessions, the team would rely on his incredible speed and have him run at the penalty box to create openings for his teammates.  He was never subbed out in a meaningful match, including two consecutive overtime games.  And through all of them he never lost a step, relentlessly attacking opposing defenses with that ridiculous speed.  He ended up winning the Bronze Ball award for the third best player in the tournament, behind Messi and Germany's Thomas Müller.  But in my mind, Robben deserved the top prize, though it would have been small consolation after losing what was likely his last chance to win the cup for Holland.