Mats Hummels has been a vital part of Germany's run to the final. The cente-back from BVB started the run off for Germany, with a magnificent header against header against Portugal and has continued in a similar vein ever since. His goal against the Portuguese was only part of that masterful, marauding and well-marshalled performance, systematic of the defender's tournament.
Hummels was injured for the majority of Dortmund's winter portion of the season and they looked a shadow of their former selves, the same can also be said of the German national side. Hummels is one of the finest ball-playing centre backs in the world, renown for his passing and ability to play out from the back, he dictates the pace. This is one of the reasons BVB struggled in his absence, as he has been curcial to setting the tempo and, of course, his excellent defending has also been missed. His partnership with Ilkay Gündoğan/Nuri Sahin is the base of all their attacks and this is also the case with whoever occupies that role in the national side. Along with his passing, Hummels marauding forward is a sight to behold.
The 24-year-old is also, of course, a fine defender. A mountainous presence in the air, Hummels is a threat in both boxes, as we've seen twice during the tournament. He is equally as adept on the ground, strong in the tackle and has a fantastic awareness of danger around him. His awareness also leads him to make a fantastic number of interceptions, which is crucial to the modern defender's game and to his in particular. With the aforementioned skill on the ball and his ability to read the game, means Hummels can start the attacks from further up the pitch and at a much quicker pace, a massive help to starting counter attacks.
Hummels is slightly injury prone, which is evident when he's been injured three times during the tournament. He also has slight lapses in concentration at crucial moments, but, thankfully for Germany, he is yet to have one in this tournament. Seemingly since his lengthy lay-off around Christmas, Hummels has eradicated that from his game and looks as impressive as ever.
The Borussia Dortmund centre-back had this to say after the game against Brazil, "We just made it clear that we had to stay focused and not try to humiliate them," he said. "We said we had to stay serious and concentrate at half-time. That’s something you don’t have to show on the pitch if you are playing."
"You have to show the opponent respect and it was very important that we did this and didn’t try to show some magic or something like this. It was important we played our game for 90 minutes." Hummels, who has recovered from injury in time for Sunday’s final, believes Germany will have to deliver a repeat performance in Rio de Janeiro. "After our second goal they got confused. They were not organised on the pitch and after that we didn’t miss a chance until we scored the fifth goal. This doesn’t happen too often. You just have to enjoy it," he added.
"We must keep our feet on the ground, but that’s no problem for us. We know how hard it will be on Sunday. It doesn’t matter who the opponent is on the day. It will be a hard fight and the only chance we have of winning is if we know that from the start. We must keep our feet on the ground, but that’s no problem for us."
The tournament for Mats Hummels has been, so far, a massive success. The opening game against Portugal was expected to be a tight affair, but after Hummels' early header, Germany blew them out of the water. His towering header gave the German's a stronghold in the game which they didn't throw away, with Hummels looking extremely composed at the heart of defence, playing his usual, calm and controlled game. Unfortunately for Germany, he was unable to complete the full 90 minutes, as he hobbled off with a thigh injury. The nation began to sweat on the fitness of their star centre-back, thankfully he made the starting eleven to face Ghana. Despite concern over his fitness, which saw Germany carved apart on the counter attack, Hummels played the full 90 minutes in a 2-2 draw. In the final group game, Hummels and the defence were largely untested against the USA, who failed to create any real clear cut chances, nevertheless it is a credit to the defence that they couldn't force a clear cut chance.
The Borussia Dortmund centre-back missed the last sixteen tie against Algeria, where his side looked exteremly nervy without him. Without Manuel Neuer's expert sweeping skills, the desert foxes could have won the game. A quarter-final against France beckoned and he returned from his flu, just in time, to score the winner. In another exceptional performance, Hummels made a crucial block to deny Karim Benzema a sure goal. He also made several vital interceptions, which would have led to multiple easy chances for the French. In the semi-final, he had little-to-nothing to do, with Brazil largely pinned back for the full half. Hummels was then subsituted at half-time with a knee problem and has been passed fit to play in the final, a massive boost for Germany.
He'll have a massive role to play in the final, paying close attention to Lionel Messi and Gonzalo Higuain. Hummels is more than capable to deal with the impending threat, however. With a solid team round him, he should be able to cope fine with Argentina's star-studded front line. Both Germany and Borussia Dortmund will be hoping he can take this form into the final and next season, with him earning many plaudits this season, he's been tipped for a move away from Westphalia. Hummels has denied reports and is happy to stay, a massive boost for Dortmund who surely have the defender of the World Cup amongst their ranks.