Quick question, simply because I only deal with the topic marginally:
Do we “just” have a strong year there again, or is the density of talent among the youngsters gradually increasing again after the French and English in particular have been super strong in recent years?
Yes, well, we will only be able to say that when the 2007 vintage arrives next year. What can be said is that our 2005 vintage is very strong and has enormous potential. The 06 vintage is currently turning out to be a similarly strong vintage, maybe even stronger at the moment. I don’t think anyone at the DFB expected such great performances and tough victories against top nations like France and Portugal.
What you can basically say, in midfield, especially centrally/offensively, we have had a number of top talents for years, even in the 05/06 vintage. What is definitely new are the many top talents on the offensive, we suddenly have really great kickers with us, a lot of speed, a lot of technique, a lot of goal hunger. The defensive was and is the big problem, there is currently little in the N11. To what extent the current vintages are impressive is still very difficult to assess, because defensive players are generally more likely to collect and show their class with experience.
At the moment things are looking up, I would agree with that.