News » d the weaknesses of Loew' s

By Sportswriter Yao Youming


BEIJING， July 21 (Xinhua) -- As China unveiled its Rio de Janeiro Olympics delegation， 29 foreign names drew attention in the 711-strong roster.


These foreign coaches mentor Chinese athletes from 17 sports， bringing both expertise and experience to sports like soccer， basketball， fencing， sailing， synchronized swimming and water polo.


China is expecting a haul of gold medals from traditionally strong sports such as table tennis， badminton， gymnastics， weightlifting， shooting and diving in Rio， while hopes are pinned on these foreign coaches to bring more nice surprises.


Frenchman Bruno Bini， 61， is tasked to lead the women's soccer team "Steel Roses" to go into the last eight， or even further， in their first Olympics in eight years.


"When my side enter the elimination stage， we will be looking forward to snatching a medal， " said Bini， who had led France to the last four in both the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup and the 2012 London Olympics.


After taking over as head coach last September， Bini already guided the girls to snatch a series of morale-boosting friendly victories.


Tom Maher is in his second spell with the Chinese women's basketball team after he coached the team to the last four at the 2008 Beijing Olympics， the team's best result in 16 years.


Back in China in 2013， the 64-year-old Australian set a realistic Rio goal of last eight for the team， which were pitted in the group with powerhouse United States， Spain， Serbia， Senegal and Canada.


Chinese women's field hockey team coach Cho Myung-Jun had big shoes to fill in following his fellow South Korean Kim Chang-Back's success in China -- a Champions Trophy crown and Beijing Olympics silver medal.


"My goal is to reach the semifinals and maybe fight for a medal，" said the 45-year-old Cho， who is said to be a even tougher coach. "I know it will be difficult for us to achieve the goal. But the team are in a very good form and without any injury problems right now."


Mayuko Fujiki， coach of Chinese synchronized swimming team， told Xinhua she wanted to challenge Russian's domination in the sport in Rio. Her optimism was echoed by Huang Xuechen， silver medalist of solo free at the 2015 Kazan world championships.


"If we can show something new， we may defeat Russians in some competitions. As far as I can see， many teams are catching up with Russians now，" said the Japanese.


Frenchman Daniel Levavasseur， coach of Chinese women's epee team， aims to defend the group title and clinch the single's gold in Rio， while Cariocan Ricardo Azevedo， dubbed "water polo godfather"， eyes a medal for the team in his hometown. Enditem

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By sportswriter Oliver Trust


BERLIN Wholesale Raymond Felton Jersey , July 3 (Xinhua) -- Perhaps Per Mertesacker and Thomas Mueller are dead right: The Germans are a tribe of moaners. Ahead of the quarterfinal against France this Friday, both Germany' s World Cup players and their Couch Joachim Low feel like shutting themselves away.


""I don' t want to have to say sorry for having won the World Cup with narrow 1-0 wins Wholesale Brice Johnson Jersey ,"" said Mueller after widespread discussions about the team' s performances to date at the World Cup.


Many feel the German game is not spectacular enough and that despite the team having reached the quarterfinals. Loew probably shares his players' sentiments as he is getting advice from all sides.


Putting it bluntly, Loew is under fire as he - and the country - desperately wants to win his and its first major title and he has to provide a convincing strategy as to how he is going to go about it.


Up until now he has focused on getting a result and has duly been coming in for some heavy criticism back home. The big question now is: Will Loew give in and change his tactics as he faces the boot should he fail against France?


For Loew the decision appears to be like the one between the devil and the deep blue sea. He either gives up his doctrine of a solid defense and play a more attacking game or he continues to follows his gut feeling of safety first.


The German starting eleven could be a slightly more risky one with Philipp Lahm at right back Wholesale Danilo Gallinari Jersey , Mats Hummels and Per Mertesacker at the center and Jerome Boateng on the left.


Lahm and Boateng would then open up the game down the flanks. Sami Khedira could appear as a defensive No. 6 behind Toni Kroos and Bastian Schweinsteiger. Andre Schuerrle would be on the left flank, Mesut Oezil on the right and Thomas Mueller as a spearhead in the middle - but no playmaker.


The most risky solution would be the one with Mueller coming in from the right Wholesale Sam Dekker Jersey , Oezilas the playmaker at the center of midfield and Miroslav Klose up front. It would be similar to the line-up Loew employed at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.


The more conservative line-up would be: Leave things as they are. Captain Lahm would stay in midfield and Boateng (right back), Mertesacker Wholesale DeAndre Jordan Jersey , Hummels and Benedikt Hoewedes (left back) would all continue in defense. Replacing Schweinsteiger, Khedira would start next to Kroos - slightly in front of Lahm. Loew again would do without a play-maker.


Until Euro 2012 and the disastrous defeat in the semifinal against Italy Wholesale Chris Paul Jersey , Loew was known as an avid believer in football as a work of art that expressed passion and desire. After admitting making mistakes in team selection and tactics, he then proceeded to concentrate on getting results.


A solid defense was now more important than football as an artwork. After 18 years without an important title Cheap Wesley Johnson Jersey , Loew is driven by the yearning to win a major tournament. After Euro 2012 he received signs from his players that the major problem would stem from a far too risky - offensive - strategy.


Games against Ghana (2-2) and Algeria (2-1) however showed the weaknesses of Loew' s strategy. With four central defenders at the back, they did little to initiate German attacks. Sch. Wholesale MLB Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys From China Wholesale Authentic MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Cheap Wholesale College Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Football Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Cheap College Baseball Jerseys Wholesale Basketball Jerseys