Loew’s hopefuls up to the challenge
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- Category: Sports
- Written by Ismaila Lere
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With an impressive record in charge of Germany, Joachim Löew has established himself as one of the leading bosses in international football.
After a mediocre playing career that saw the attacking midfielder earn four Under-21 caps but never make a senior appearance for Germany, Löew became a near instant success as a boss. Having learned the ropes as player-coach at Swiss minnows FC Winterthur and FC Frauenfeld, he returned to VfB Stuttgart as assistant to Rolf Fringer before becoming caretaker and then team manager.
He led the team to domestic cup success in the DFB-Pokal in 1997 and to the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup the following year, where they lost 1-0 to Chelsea. In the following seasons, he became a popular figure in Turkey during spells in charge of Fenerbahce (1998-99) and Adanaspor (2001), and won the Austrian championship with the defunct FC Tirol Innsbruck in 2002 before heading to Austria Vienna.
In 2004, Jürgen Klinsmann brought him into the Germany set-up as his assistant to provide the coaching expertise to match his passion. The duo led the side to third place in the 2005 Confederations Cup after losing to eventual winners Brazil in the semi-finals and then repeated the feat in the 2006 World Cup, finishing third after a late semi-final defeat to eventual winners Italy.
Despite the team’s success in the tournament, Klinsmann resigned the following month for personal reasons and Löew was installed in his place. Qualifying for Euro 2008 with few problems, Löw then guided the side to the final, where they were beaten 1-0 by Spain. Germany’s impressive form continued in the World Cup 2010 qualifiers, as he topped Group Four and finished four points ahead of Guus Hiddink’s Russia.
Löw is an intelligent tactician and prepares his teams well for upcoming matches. His record also suggests that, while his players have not won any silverware, he can inspire them to get the results they need to progress.
But he has plenty of critics and there is a feeling that, despite the good results, performances have not been up to the same standard for some time. Some feel that he is too inflexible when it comes to tactics and his selection policy has come under fire. Germany skipper Michael Ballack also publicly criticised Löw for his treatment of several players.
Tactically, Löew depends on a strong midfield but favours a 4-4-2 formation, with Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose up front. He has also utilised 4-2-3-1 and, in their final World Cup qualifier against Finland, Löew attempted a more experimental formation with Brazilian-born Stuttgart forward Cacau seemingly given a free role.
In South Africa, Germany are streamed in Group D along with Australia, Serbia and African representatives, Ghana. It looks like a difficult hurdle for the four teams to overcome with no easy fixtures on the horizon.
Germany are understandably favourites to top the group as Loew’s side traditionally do well in major tournaments but it is a tough assignment.
However, the other three teams: Australia, Serbia and Ghana all have their merits and it will make compelling watching.
ROUTE TO SOUTH AFRICA:
Although Russia were in Germany’s group, it was Finland who caused Loew’s side the most problems. After a 3-3 draw in Helsinki, a 2-1 triumph against Russia before a narrow victory against Wales kept the Germans on course for the finals.
With Guus Hiddink’s Russia keeping the pressure up, it all boiled down to the pivotal tie in Moscow in October, where Miroslav Klose scored the only goal - even though the visitors had Jerome Boateng sent off on 69 minutes. The final game against Finland mattered little but Lukas Podolski spared his side’s blushes with a last-gasp equaliser.
KEY PLAYERS:
The Germans will definitely miss the presence of their captain Michael Ballack in South Africa. He was ruled out of the World Cup with an ankle injury suffered in last Saturday’s FA Cup final victory over Portsmouth.
But Loew believes he will be taking a strong squad to the World Cup, even without his injured captain. “We have a strong team and we hope that we will play a good World Cup, regardless of how bitter the absence of Michael Ballack is,” Loew said from the team’s training camp in Sicily. “We can only reaffirm that we have confidence in our squad for South Africa. And we have a plan for the upcoming personnel decisions.
The Germany tactician will now rely on Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger to deliver the goods. Schweinsteiger is an instantly recognisable element of the Germany side. South Africa will be the fourth time he has represented his country at a major tournament and his set-piece delivery and penchant for the spectacular will bring a crucial degree of unpredictability to Joachim Low’s side.
Having already surpassed the 70-cap mark, there is even speculation that Schweinsteiger could break Lothar Matthaus’ record of 150 appearances for Germany if he continues his impressive form.
WORLD CUP HISTORY
1934 Third place
1938 First round
1954 Winners
1958 Fourth place
1962 Quarter-finals
1966 Runners-up
1970 Third place
1974 Winners
1978 Second round
1982 Runners-up
1986 Runners-up
1990 Winners
1994 Quarter-finals
1998 Quarter-finals
2002 Runners-up
2006 Third place
WORLD CUP HIGHLIGHT:
As three-time winners, you can take your pick but 1974 was a fabulous moment. On home turf in Munich, many of the neutrals tuned in across the globe wanted Holland’s ‘Total Football’ to prevail. The Dutch went ahead with a second minute penalty from Johan Neeskens to stun the hosts but, in typical fashion, West Germany rolled up their sleeves and got to work. Another spot-kick, from Paul Breitner, levelled matters and ‘Der Bomber’ Gerd Muller grabbed the winner.
Articles
Loew’s hopefuls up to the challenge
Category: Sports Written by Ismaila Lere Hits: 659
Although not considered among the absolute favourites, Germany have consistently delivered at tournaments and, if things go their way, must be treated as serious contenders to win the trophy.With an impressive record in charge of Germany, Joachim Löew has established himself as one of the leading bosses in international football.
After a mediocre playing career that saw the attacking midfielder earn four Under-21 caps but never make a senior appearance for Germany, Löew became a near instant success as a boss. Having learned the ropes as player-coach at Swiss minnows FC Winterthur and FC Frauenfeld, he returned to VfB Stuttgart as assistant to Rolf Fringer before becoming caretaker and then team manager.
He led the team to domestic cup success in the DFB-Pokal in 1997 and to the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup the following year, where they lost 1-0 to Chelsea. In the following seasons, he became a popular figure in Turkey during spells in charge of Fenerbahce (1998-99) and Adanaspor (2001), and won the Austrian championship with the defunct FC Tirol Innsbruck in 2002 before heading to Austria Vienna.
In 2004, Jürgen Klinsmann brought him into the Germany set-up as his assistant to provide the coaching expertise to match his passion. The duo led the side to third place in the 2005 Confederations Cup after losing to eventual winners Brazil in the semi-finals and then repeated the feat in the 2006 World Cup, finishing third after a late semi-final defeat to eventual winners Italy.
Despite the team’s success in the tournament, Klinsmann resigned the following month for personal reasons and Löew was installed in his place. Qualifying for Euro 2008 with few problems, Löw then guided the side to the final, where they were beaten 1-0 by Spain. Germany’s impressive form continued in the World Cup 2010 qualifiers, as he topped Group Four and finished four points ahead of Guus Hiddink’s Russia.
Löw is an intelligent tactician and prepares his teams well for upcoming matches. His record also suggests that, while his players have not won any silverware, he can inspire them to get the results they need to progress.
But he has plenty of critics and there is a feeling that, despite the good results, performances have not been up to the same standard for some time. Some feel that he is too inflexible when it comes to tactics and his selection policy has come under fire. Germany skipper Michael Ballack also publicly criticised Löw for his treatment of several players.
Tactically, Löew depends on a strong midfield but favours a 4-4-2 formation, with Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose up front. He has also utilised 4-2-3-1 and, in their final World Cup qualifier against Finland, Löew attempted a more experimental formation with Brazilian-born Stuttgart forward Cacau seemingly given a free role.
In South Africa, Germany are streamed in Group D along with Australia, Serbia and African representatives, Ghana. It looks like a difficult hurdle for the four teams to overcome with no easy fixtures on the horizon.
Germany are understandably favourites to top the group as Loew’s side traditionally do well in major tournaments but it is a tough assignment.
However, the other three teams: Australia, Serbia and Ghana all have their merits and it will make compelling watching.
ROUTE TO SOUTH AFRICA:
Although Russia were in Germany’s group, it was Finland who caused Loew’s side the most problems. After a 3-3 draw in Helsinki, a 2-1 triumph against Russia before a narrow victory against Wales kept the Germans on course for the finals.
With Guus Hiddink’s Russia keeping the pressure up, it all boiled down to the pivotal tie in Moscow in October, where Miroslav Klose scored the only goal - even though the visitors had Jerome Boateng sent off on 69 minutes. The final game against Finland mattered little but Lukas Podolski spared his side’s blushes with a last-gasp equaliser.
KEY PLAYERS:
The Germans will definitely miss the presence of their captain Michael Ballack in South Africa. He was ruled out of the World Cup with an ankle injury suffered in last Saturday’s FA Cup final victory over Portsmouth.
But Loew believes he will be taking a strong squad to the World Cup, even without his injured captain. “We have a strong team and we hope that we will play a good World Cup, regardless of how bitter the absence of Michael Ballack is,” Loew said from the team’s training camp in Sicily. “We can only reaffirm that we have confidence in our squad for South Africa. And we have a plan for the upcoming personnel decisions.
The Germany tactician will now rely on Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger to deliver the goods. Schweinsteiger is an instantly recognisable element of the Germany side. South Africa will be the fourth time he has represented his country at a major tournament and his set-piece delivery and penchant for the spectacular will bring a crucial degree of unpredictability to Joachim Low’s side.
Having already surpassed the 70-cap mark, there is even speculation that Schweinsteiger could break Lothar Matthaus’ record of 150 appearances for Germany if he continues his impressive form.
WORLD CUP HISTORY
1934 Third place
1938 First round
1954 Winners
1958 Fourth place
1962 Quarter-finals
1966 Runners-up
1970 Third place
1974 Winners
1978 Second round
1982 Runners-up
1986 Runners-up
1990 Winners
1994 Quarter-finals
1998 Quarter-finals
2002 Runners-up
2006 Third place
WORLD CUP HIGHLIGHT:
As three-time winners, you can take your pick but 1974 was a fabulous moment. On home turf in Munich, many of the neutrals tuned in across the globe wanted Holland’s ‘Total Football’ to prevail. The Dutch went ahead with a second minute penalty from Johan Neeskens to stun the hosts but, in typical fashion, West Germany rolled up their sleeves and got to work. Another spot-kick, from Paul Breitner, levelled matters and ‘Der Bomber’ Gerd Muller grabbed the winner.