Team: GERMANY

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Borowski misses first training session

Future Bayern player Tim Borowski wasn't at the German national team's first training session on Friday morning at their camp in Mallorca.

The midfielder, who is suffering from the flu, had to remain in the team hotel. That meant coach Joachim Löw had only 24 players at his disposal at the squad's first training session at San Moix stadium in Palma de Mallorca. Skipper Michael Ballack will be arriving on Monday in time for the friendly against Belarus in Kaiserslautern.

Friedrich and Gomez also limited

Defender Arne Friedrich and striker Mario Gomez also had to limit their participation on Friday. Friedrich was suffering from intestinal problems, and Gomez from a mild calf injury. Both players were only able to train on the bike.

Also on Friday morning, the spouses of the players and staff, who had accompanied their mates during the first four days on the sunny island, returned home.

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Metzelder fighting his way into the starting eleven

The countdown has begun: around two weeks before Germany's first game in the EURO 2008 against Poland in Klagenfurt, Austria, centre-back Christoph Metzelder is battling to become a first-team regular.

"If I'm healthy, there's no doubt I'm going to play. But I'll have to work hard over the next two weeks so that the coach has no way to pass me up", said the 26-year old at the national team's training camp in Mallorca.

Little playing time

The two-time World Cup player was only able to play a total of 165 minutes in the second half of the season for Spanish side Real Madrid, after undergoing a foot operation in mid-February. In recent weeks, Metzelder played 90 minutes against Real Saragossa, 30 minutes against UD Levante and just 45 minutes in the 1:4 washout in the friendly at Al Nasr in Saudi Arabia.

"In spite of my limited playing time, I'm still basically in good condition. I still have to work on quick movements and on the space between opposing players", explained the former Borussia Dortmund player, who wasn't able to join up with the national team until Wednesday on account of the friendly in Saudi Arabia.

Harmonious Trio

Since then, Metzelder, who's been capped 39 times for Germany, has been giving all he's got to ensure that he'll be teamed up in central defence with Per Mertesacker, just as he was at the World Cup in 2006. "The three of us -- Per Mertesacker, Jens Lehmann and I -- have often shown that we harmonize well with one another. But it's not that I have a free pass here...everyone is fighting to be a first-team regular at the EURO", said Metzelder.

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Germany - Road To Euro 2008

TalkSoccer Media Player

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One has to go...

Patrick Helmes or Oliver Neuville? National coach Joachim Löw will only be taking one of the pair to EURO 2008. Which one, he isn't saying.

Will it be the experience of Oliver Neuville or the fresh talent of Patrick Helmes? Joachim Löw will reveal his fifth squad striker for the finals by noon on Wednesday at the latest. "Both have their strengths" is all he will say at the moment.

Friendly rivalry

Miroslav Klose, Kevin Kuranyi, Lukas Podolski and Mario Gomez are safe. The two contenders for number five frontman are relaxed about the situation. "It's not a problem for me", says Helmes, whose eleven goals in the second half of the campaign were vital to Köln's successful push for promotion.

The 24-year-old Leverkusen-bound striker says he has a "comradely relationship" with Neuville, who helped his own side, Borussia Mönchengladbach, back to the top flight.

Wishful thinking

Neuville, 35, and with 66 games for Germany under his belt, has a significant supporter in team captain Michael Ballack ("Someone of his experience belongs in the squad"). Equally complimentary about his rival - "Patrick has earned the call-up. Maybe we'll both end up going" - he is well aware that the latter comment is more a case of wishful thinking than anything else.

There can be no doubts about Neuville's determination to make the cut, however. The normally reticent striker, who netted 15 goals for Gladbach last season, says, "I've been dropped from the squad twice at the last moment. It was pretty brutal for the 2000 finals: Erich Ribbeck told me I was being dropped two hours before he made it public, even though I'd been a regular in the team up till then." And Neuville has another, quite personal reason for wanting to make it this time.

"Ascona is my home"

"Ascona is my home, I lived there 18 years. My mother and sister live there, my eleven-year-old son goes to school there", says the Borussia captain. The German squad will be based in Il Giardino am Lago Maggiore, a stone's-throw from Neuville's birthplace, Locarno.

Helmes can't match him on that front, having been born in Siegen. But on the pragmatic side he is keen to point out, "When I play, I'm always good for a goal, even if I'm coming off the bench."

Special qualities

For his part, Neuville has little to prove in the national colours. At the 2002 World Cup finals he scored the only goal of the game against Paraguay, in the 88th minute, to seal Germany's place in the quarter-finals.

Four years on, Neuville left it even later, converting David Odonkor's cross in added time to give Germany the points in the group match with Poland. Both strikers will have a final opportunity to sway Joachim Löw in Tuesday's warm-up against Belarus in Kaiserslautern. Then, it will be time to announce the verdict...

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The tension mounts

The clock is ticking down on the deadline for notification of the final squads for EURO 2008 in Austria and Switzerland.

Joachim Löw and his fellow coaches from the competing nations have until noon on Wednesday, 28 May to inform UEFA of their definitive 23-man squads for the tournament. Ahead of that, Germany have a warm-up against Belarus in Kaiserslautern on Tuesday.

Last chance

"We have to annouce the squad on Wednesday, so the game against Belarus and the trainng session in Homburg are the final opportunities to weigh up who isn't going to make the cut", team manager Oliver Bierhoff said on Sunday.

"It will be a tough call for those who don't make it", says team psychologist Hans-Dieter Hermann: "But selection is part of the process in football, the players experience it week in week out in the Bundesliga. It won't have any negative effect on team spirit, they are a solid unit already."

Ballack joining squad on Monday

16 hours after kick-off in the Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Joachin Löw has to inform UEFA of his finbal squad. By then, he will aready have told three of his players that they have been demoted to 'stand-by' for the tournament.

Team captain Michael Ballack will join up with the rest of the squad on Monday. The players are due to return to their training camp on Mallorca directly after the Belarus friendly.

Tactical fine-tuningy

The two daily training sessions in the Stadion Son Moix are currently focussed first and foremost on fine-tuning the team's tactics.

Hertha BSC's Arne Friedrich (stomach trouble) and Leverkusen keeper Rene Adler (bruised pelvis) remain highly doubful for the Belarus game alongside Tim Browski, who has been plagued with stomach flu for the past week.

Wide defender Philipp Lahm and striker Mario Gomez also missed early weekend training due to minor injuries.

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[Mighty T.A.L.]

Is Adler no1 now?

[Dragoen]

No he is not. He is the current no 3, Enke is no2 and Lehmann no1.

But after the EC it is expected that Lehmann will step down from the nt and Adler becomes the no1 with Enke staying no2.

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Dragoen, Adler is no.2, if I'm correct. He's the replacement of Hildebrand, who was the no.2.

[Dragoen]

It is hard to say that. I just follow the opinion most of the german media has and that is that Enke moves up from no3 to no 2 and Adler is the new no 3. But to say that for sure we will have to wait for the game against Poland.

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Philipp Lahm- Left Or Right?

German full back Philipp Lahm is providing German national team trainer Joachim Löw with a conundrum ahead of the European Championships. Does he play left back or right back?

A few weeks ago it seemed that Philipp Lahm was on his way out of Bayern Munich following their withdrawal of a new contract offer, but after a discussion with incoming trainer Jürgen Klinsmann, the 24 year old has committed his future to the Bavarian club.

It has emerged that a major factor in the turnaround was Klinsmann’s insistence that he saw Lahm predominantly as a right back- his preferred position.

“He sees me in the first instance as a right back” Lahm explained. “And that is my strongest position.”

Bundestrainer Jogi Löw however doesn’t see things quite so clear cut and it remains unclear which flank Lahm will occupy at this summer’s finals.

“I don’t know whether I’ll be playing right or left at the Euros, but I’m sure the trainer will let me know when the time is right” Lahm said.

“We have different options and that is a good thing. But I prefer to play on the right.”

The decision as to where to slot in the Bayern full back is of particular importance to both Arne Friedrich and club colleague Marcell Jansen as it will determine largely whether they have a place in the first XI or a seat on the substitute’s bench.

At the previous World Cup in 2006 the defence lined up with Friedrich on the right and Lahm on the left with Metzelder and Mertesacker in the middle. “We were successful with that formation, but I have no idea what the trainer is planning” admits Berlin defender Arne Friedrich.

The emergence of Marcell Jansen this season at Bayern has only served to complicate matters even more. The 22 year old was only a squad player at the last Wold Cup, but since then has evolved into a regular in the national side and has lined up as full back opposite Lahm on seven occasions (all wins).

“I’m just concentrating on myself and putting the effort in” Jansen said. “The trainer decides everything else.”

But as it stands the indicators are pointing to a back four of Lahm-Metzelder-Mertesacker-Jansen, with Friedrich having to miss out. The Hertha defender however is definitely out of Tuesday’s warm-up fixture against Belarus.

Heiko Westermann and Clemens Fritz are the other options at full back.

Goal.com - Euro 2008 - Philipp Lahm- Left Or Right?

[The Rule]

It's ridiculous that Lehmann is number one. He's a poor keeper who's a reserve at a club with no good keepers.

Germany have more goalkeeping talent than any other country, and Lehmann is number one. Ridiculous.

[Dragoen]

Löw just annouced which three players will be removed from the squad and it's: Jones, Marin and Helmes.

It would have been nice to win a title again. But that won't happen with Odonkor and Trochowski in the squad. It is just bullsh*t to nominate a talent like Marin and then take him out of the squad and to leave someone in there who has no technique at all(Odonkor) or someone who never played a single good match for the nt(Trochwoski).

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Marin out? What the fuck!!

Helmes > Neuville. And, Troche is good Dragoen. It's good to have him.

[Dragoen]

I don't know I did not see Trochowski yesterday. But I saw Odonkor and what I saw was horrible. With what did he earn his nomination? Money? A Blowjob? I don't know but it surely can't be his performance on the pitch.

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Goalkeepers:
Jens Lehmann (Arsenal),
Robert Enke (Hannover 96),
Rene Adler (Bayer Leverkusen).

Defenders:
Christoph Metzelder (Real Madrid),
Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen),
Clemens Fritz (Werder Bremen),
Philipp Lahm, (FC Bayern München)
Marcell Jansen (FC Bayern München),
Arne Friedrich (Hertha BSC Berlin),
Heiko Westermann (FC Schalke 04).

Midfielders:
Michael Ballack (Chelsea FC),
Thomas Hitzlsperger (VfB Stuttgart),
Simon Rolfes (Bayer Leverkusen),
Torsten Frings (Werder Bremen)
Tim Borowski (Werder Bremen),
Bastian Schweinsteiger (FC Bayern München),
Piotr Trochowski (Hamburger SV),
David Odonkor (Real Betis).

Forwards:
Miroslav Klose (FC Bayern München)
Lukas Podolski (FC Bayern München),
Mario Gomez (VfB Stuttgart),
Kevin Kuranyi (FC Schalke 04),
Oliver Neuville (Borussia Mönchengladbach).

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When will they get the numbers?