Ozil Crucial For Germany

Mesut Ozil has so far been one of the important players for the German national team at the World Cup 2014. He has played a crucial role in the opening two matches against Portugal and Ghana. Germany managed a thumping 4-0 win over Portugal, which was followed by a disappointing 2-2 draw against Ghana. Despite this, they go into the final group match against United States needing just a point to qualify for the knockout stages. Depending upon the results, they could even do with a defeat and still qualify.

The have been suggestions prior to the match that Germany may adopt a defensive approach to the game against United States. The Germans are level on points with US, but they are top of the table because of a superior goal difference. Ozil, who came in for criticism towards the end of the campaign with Arsenal, says that Germany will not be going with the attitude of just getting a point. The German defence has also been criticised of late, as they have been conceding a lot of goals in the last 12 months.

The US national team will be coached by former Germany manager Jurgen Klinsmann and there is a lot of split love in both camps. Klinsmann decided to call up a number of German born players who were eligible to play for the US national team.

“I believe that as a player we do not play for a draw. We play 90 minutes to score. Our purpose is to do our utmost to win, and that is what we will do. We want to finish top of the group. Nowadays it does not mean anything to this squad. Most of the players had not been born then. They would not have an opinion about that, they never watched it,” said Ozil.