Franz Beckenbauer has urged Joachim Low to reconsider his stance on Kevin Kuranyi after seeing the ostracised striker lead the Bundesliga goalscoring charts this season.

Kuranyi has not represented his country since a World Cup qualifier against Russia in October 2008 when the striker left the game in Dortmund before the final whistle having missed out on a place in the matchday squad.

While Beckenbauer feels Low was correct to punish Kuranyi for his behaviour, the man who coached Germany to World Cup glory in 1990 says growing concerns over Germany’s attacking options mean Low must reassess the Schalke star’s absence.…

Germany coach Joachim Loew insisted Wednesday Bayer Leverkusen’s Rene Adler remains his first-choice goalkeeper going into the World Cup, despite media criticism of the German number one.

After Argentina beat Germany 1-0 in a friendly earlier this month, Adler was slammed for coming off his line early which led to Argentinian striker Gonzalo Higuain scoring the 45th-minute goal which gave his side victory.

And the 25-year-old has conceded eight goals in Bayer’s last three Bundesliga games which have drawn rumbles of discontent from the German media.…

Coming just before Germany’s 1 – 0 defeat to Argentina in an international friendly, Germany’s football federation (DFB) has announced that it has reached an agreement with the players on a bonus plan for the upcoming World Cup in South Africa.

Bonuses will start with payments of 50,000 Euros to each player for reaching the quarterfinals. The players would get 100,000 Euros if Germany progresses to the seminals and 150,000 Euros for reaching the final.

If the team brings the trophy home from South Africa, bonus payouts will top 250,000 Euros per player.

Considering Germany’s disappointing performance today, it might be premature to speak to players about bonuses at the World Cup.…

The German National Team have lost their first match in 2010, the year of the World Cup. In Munich the team of coach Joachim Löw were defeated 0-1 (0-1) by Argentina. Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain scored a nice goal in the 45th minute to give Diego Maradona’s side the win.

Higuain clipped the ball over Rene Adler when the German goalkeeper rushed out of his goal and then scored from 30 metres to give Maradona arguably the most impressive win in his turbulent 18 months as coach.

Germany came to life after Cacau replaced Mesut Özil in the 67th minute.

The Brazilian-born forward tested Argentina’s goalkeeper Sergio Romero with a powerful drive after being set up by a backheel from captain Michael Ballack and volleyed over from a similar position after a one-two with Mario Gomez.

[DFB.de]…

The German national team meet Argentina this Wednesday in one of the classic rivalries of modern-day football (Wednesday, 8.45 P.M.). The German coaching staff, represented by assistant coach Andreas Köpke, announced at a media conference on Monday, that Bayer Leverkusen’s Rene Adler is nominated as the starting goalkeeper.

“In the race for the number one spot, Rene Adler currently has the edge”, said Köpke. “He had excellent performances in every game we put him in the goal. To have him play against Argentina, was not a difficult decision.”

Following the team’s breakfast, Joachim Löw had informed Adler during a brief meeting in the head coach’s office. Adler’s nomination can be interpreted as more than a hint for things to come. If he continues to play convincingly, he’ll be the starter in South Africa.

Köpke emphasized, however, that this nomination is not a final veto against Manuel Neuer (Schalke 04) and Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen). But he also said: “Playing time is a precious opportunity, that the others don’t have right now.”

Rene Adler said: “I feel good about this nomination, especially considering the magnitude of the game. It’s great to play against some of the best players in the world.”…