Picking the Bones Out of Germany's World Cup Carcass

They say you can't afford to lose your opening World Cup game. Whatever happens, however poorly it goes, just grind out a draw at minimum.

It prevents you from being in a hole, one that you must then frantically clamber out of. It means you can calmly stick to your plan, approaching the next two games with an air or serenity and control. It stops you from glancing nervously at the big, red, glossy panic button, wondering whether to push it.

Avoiding defeat in the opening game is not something reigning champions Germany managed to do. It began their pathway to a shock group-stage elimination, as they followed in the footsteps of Italy (won 2006, group-stage exit in 2010) and Spain (won 2010,…