Germany's 2-2 draw against Ghana on Saturday once again exposed the team's lack of a true leader, a charismatic player who will take charge when the chips are down.

Exciting, dominant and entertaining as they often are, ­Germany's lack of a "go-to" player in times of trouble has haunted them through the last two World Cups and two European championships.

That lack of an inspirational leader almost cost them dearly again in their Group G match against Ghana on Saturday before Miroslav Klose and Bastian Schweinsteiger turned the game around when they got on the pitch in the 69th minute.

"They both came in and enlivened the match right away," a relieved Joachim Loew told German TV. "The team showed strong morale to come back after we were down."

But where was the strong leader?

Before the match, Ghana's Kevin-Prince Boateng said ­Germany's problem was it lacked a "Typen" - tough guys who take charge.

Boateng was once such a "tough guy" and natural leader for the nation's Under-21 team but he was a bit too much of an independent spirit for Germany's­ liking.

German soccer governing body DFB tends to promote those with squeaky clean images who stick to what might be called the "corporate line."

For years, fans and soccer pundits have been warning about the perils of not having someone to look to in tight spots.

Germany played brilliantly at times in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups but lost in the semifinals - 2-0 to Italy in 2006 and 1-0 to Spain in 2010.

The nadir for Germany came in a qualifying match in 2012 against Sweden in Berlin.

Germany were leading 4-0 well into the second half but ended up with a 4-4 draw and smoldering criticism at home about a lack of leadership on the pitch.