Raphael Honigstein in Germany

"Sometimes, less is more," is Philipp Lahm's favourite saying. The Bayern Munich and Germany captain seems to have a point when it comes to the Bundesliga. Unlike other major European leagues (Serie A in Italy, La Liga in Spain, England's Premier League), Germany's top flight makes do with only 18 teams. Add the lack of a league cup, no cup replays, and the most generous winter break of all (five weeks) to the mix, and the national team's remarkably consistent record in big competitions over the decades seems less of a mystery. If England are the most tired nation at tournaments, as their manager Fabio Capello suggests, then the Germans are surely the freshest.