Ballack's injury a blessing in disguise

It seems a long time ago now that Germany’s World Cup plans were thrown into turmoil by the injury which ruled Michael Ballack out of the tournament. Losing their captain looked like a big blow at the time and Portsmouth midfielder Kevin Prince Boateng, whose brother has been starring at left back for Die Mannschaft, was vilified in the German press for his dangerous tackle in the FA Cup final, which caused the damage to Ballack’s ankle.

Losing a player of his experience and quality was hardly ideal preparation for South Africa. But although it happened to a number of national teams - Rio Ferdinand for England, Michael Essien for Ghana and John Obi Mikel for Nigeria immediately spring to mind –, only in Germany will the injury to their biggest star be retrospectively seen as a blessing in disguise.

Ballack was not the only man Germany lost to injury. First choice centre back Heiko Westermann of Schalke and Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Rene Adler, who was set to take the number one jersey at this competition, were also ruled out back in May. It was Ballack’s withdrawal, however, that paved the way for the current team configuration which has carried with it so much success.

Phillip Lahm was chosen as Ballack’s replacement to captain Germany in South Africa, and, while his quality was never in doubt, concerns about his leadership credentials did surface. Lahm has quashed that apprehension with displays of commanding leadership and he has had plenty of help on the pitch from the likes of Per Mertesacker, Miroslav Klose and Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Obviously there is more to it than simply coaxing other players out of their shells. Michael Ballack’s absence is largely responsible for the tinkering which led to the German tactical system employed by Joachim Low, the undisputable basis of their stunning successes against England and Argentina.

The 4-2-3-1 formation, easily interchangeable with a 4-3-3 depending on the circumstance, has given Die Mannschaft irresistible attacking width with Lukas Podolski and Thomas Muller high up the pitch on the wings. England and Argentina both attacked and defended in narrow areas, which made them extremely vulnerable to Germany’s system. One of the few criticisms about Spain, Germany’s upcoming opponents in the semi-finals, has been their lack of width in the final third and, with their centrally orientated midfield three of Xavi Hernandez, Sergio Busquets and Xabi Alonso, they too should be wary of the German threat out wide.

Okay, so Germany could have played this system with Michael Ballack in the middle of the park – they didn’t during qualifying because 20 year old Thomas Muller was not yet a fully fledged international – but, with Ballack playing in attacking midfield, we would not have witnessed the coming of age of Mesut Ozil; the Turkish born Werder Bremen midfielder would almost certainly have been pushed out wide where he would not have been so influential. Ballack is one of the all-time German greats, but he is a completely different player to Ozil. He does not have the blistering pace, the energy or the marvellous dribbling ability to lead the team on the counter attack as Ozil has done.

While Ozil has been the real beneficiary, Sami Khedira was the direct replacement and his is the player who would not have been in South Africa but for Ballack’s physical woes. Khedira is not there to make up the numbers. He has remained ahead of Marko Marin, Toni Kroos and Piotr Trochowski as first choice partner to Bastian Schweinsteiger. He may not be the most gifted technically, but he works hard, covers a lot of ground and compliments Schweinsteiger well by dropping in deep and allowing the Bayern Munich man to roam.

Michael Ballack’s international career is not over. His huge wages at Chelsea made it impractical for the London club to renew his contract if he wasn’t going to play a major role. With Frank Lampard, Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel competing for positions at Stamford Bridge, the 34 year old Ballack would only have his playing time further reduced.

The move to Bayer Leverkusen looks like a good one for all parties involved. Ballack remains a commanding presence in midfield and still has the potential to play a starring role in the Bundesliga if he can avoid injury. He will be directly under the gaze of the national team coach as well so he could still have a significant part to play in Germany’s EURO 2012 qualifying campaign, perhaps competing with Sami Khedira for a more conservative holding role than he is used to.

In the long term, Germany’s future looks very bright indeed. This team will not peak for at least another four or five years and the ephemeral reality of football means that Michael Ballack will surely be long gone by then. Sadly for him, it looks like he could just miss out on the next golden age of German football.