They didn' t manage to get Messi under complete control, which was no surprise against the maybe best footballer on earth. Therefore when turning defence into attack, Germany for a long time lacked speed against the South Americans.
In the final the Germans had to change their lineup twice. Shortly before the start (Khedira was out due to injury) and after 30 minutes as Kramer was out as well. It took a while to get back on track, but they managed, not without problems though.
Up front it was at first done with a "false nine" -- later in the tournament with Miroslav Klose as spearhead -- and then with Goetze as false nine again in extra time of the final.
Again the Germans delivered another successful example -- if you can carry out changes in your system within a game -- it is first class. Positions were changed, to create chaos within the opponent's back row and create chances.
The Germans in time remembered dead ball situations are a weapon (in contrast to the 2010 World Cup). And keeper Manuel Neuer was more than a "goalkeeper", sometimes he was more of a libero (as seen against Algeria) as the German defence played further up and he had to watch the space between him and his defenders (as seen against Gonzalo Higuain in the final). Neuer had to come out and save the day on the edge of the box against Higuain.
Being dominant in what he did during the tournament, he was awarded the Golden Glove, tournament's best keeper.
German captain Philipp Lahm summed up the mantra perfectly, saying: "You don't need the best players in your squad, but you need a plan and a lot of team spirit."
