Thursday 6 March 2014

Bundestrainer Löw: "There are plenty of other strong nations", 06.03.2014

Although Germany kicked off their World Cup year with a 1-0 friendly win over Chile yesterday, Joachim Löw saw plenty of room for improvement during the 90 minutes. In an interview, the national team coach discussed the first friendly in the run-up to the World Cup and discussed the form of Mesut Özil and Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Question: Joachim Löw, what is your verdict on the team’s 1-0 win over Chile?

Löw: Chile were exactly the opponent we needed before this World Cup. They were extremely strong and lively, and were technically and tactically very good throughout. They pushed us to the limit. It was a lucky win for us as the Chileans had some very good opportunities to score.

Question: What are the current problem areas?

Löw: We had better control of the match in the first half, but in the second half we gave the ball away several times when pushing forward. We didn’t start the match too well and had to work unbelievably hard.

Question: After your wake-up call on Monday, are you now glad the public has had a chance to see that the World Cup will not be an easy prospect?

Löw: I’d simply like to say that some players still need to improve their performances as they’ve been injured and haven’t played very much. It’s also clear that temperatures will be very different in Brazil and we’ll be playing at different times. There are no excuses. We shouldn’t assume that the Chileans or other South American countries will play cautiously in these conditions. It’s clear that we need to improve in some areas, and the players concerned have been made aware of that. It will be important for us after this match to acknowledge the current situation and really appreciate that we need to push ourselves that little bit harder.

Question: What’s your view on Mesut Özil’s situation?

Löw: Football is played at a much higher intensity in England, and you have to acclimatise to that. I don’t have to find a role for Mesut; I know which positions he can play and what he can do. I have complete faith in him. He’ll find his form.

Question: And Bastian Schweinsteiger?

Löw: He has a big impact on our play thanks to his class and experience. Whenever he is able to spend 90 minutes on the march with his ball control and tactical finesse, it’s extremely useful for us. Bastian is a fearsome prospect when he’s fully fit, but he has been injured for a long time now. It will do him good to play some more games, and then I’m sure we’ll see a strong Schweinsteiger once more.

Question: Why did the team let so many chances slip by?

Löw: It’s easy to explain: we had a lot of space because we were playing across the pitch with five or six players but couldn’t complete our passes. The extremely solid passing game that served us so well against Italy and England failed us this time. We lost the ball too often.

Question: Were you surprised by the tempo at which the Chileans played?

Löw: It didn’t surprise me. They recently put the world champions, Spain, under pressure for almost 90 minutes. Spain also had trouble getting forward because the Chileans pressed them so consistently. It was important for some players to experience and see that if they want to achieve anything this summer.

Question: Before the match, you spoke about theory and reality. Is it realistic to expect that there will be other teams besides the Europeans, Brazil and Argentina who could make life difficult for the favourites this summer?

Löw: Chile are being treated as the dark horses by some experts, and with good reason – they certainly proved their worth today. I watch a lot of international matches, and there’s no way you can say that the best players in the world only play in Germany. We’ve certainly got some very good footballers when they’re all fit, but you get the feeling that Germany is somewhat spoiled for choice in that respect. There are plenty of other strong nations, particularly in South America, where Brazil, Argentina, Chile or even Colombia play fantastic, high-quality football. It’s probably a good thing that Chile showed this evening that there are exceptional footballers in other countries too.

6 March 2014
Originally on dfb.de. Uploaded here to prevent loss once removed from or moved on that site.

Tuesday 4 March 2014

Bundestrainer Joachim Löw: "Die Uhr tickt", 03.03.2014

Joachim Löw hat die erste Pressekonferenz im Vorfeld des Länderspiels gegen Chile am Mittwoch (ab 20.45 Uhr, live in der ARD) in Stuttgart hinter sich. DFB.de fasst die wichtigsten Aussagen zusammen.

JOACHIM LÖW ÜBER ...

... die 100-Tage-Marke bis zur WM: "100 Tage sind es für mich nicht mehr. Ich würde sagen, dass wir 70 Tage haben, bis mit der Kadernominierung wichtige Entscheidungen gefällt werden müssen. Darauf richten wir den Fokus. Wir werden die Spieler intensiv beobachten, mit ihnen sprechen und ihnen Aufgaben mitgeben. Die Uhr tickt, nur der der sie hört, wird eine reelle Chance haben."

… die Bedingungen in Brasilien: "In Brasilien, das wissen wir alle, herrschen ganz andere Bedingungen. Es hat noch kein europäisches Team geschafft, eine WM in Südamerika zu gewinnen. Wir spielen zu ungewöhnlichen Anstoßzeiten: um 13 und um 16 Uhr. Bei ganz anderen Temperaturen, wie wir es hier gewohnt sind. Es wird sehr feucht sein. Von daher ist eine Grundvoraussetzung, dass wir absolut fitte Spieler haben bei diesem Turnier. Ich brauche einen Kader, der maximal belastbar ist bei diesen Anforderungen, die uns da gestellt werden. Das sind keine Ausreden, das sind Tatsachen."

... die personelle Situation vor dem Chile-Spiel: "Ich habe gespürt, dass die Spieler sich wahnsinnig gefreut haben, wieder bei der Nationalmannschaft zu sein. Bis auf zwei sind gestern Abend alle angereist. Lars Bender wird am Mittwoch wahrscheinlich nicht spielen, er hat sich eine Muskelverhärtung zugezogen. Außerdem müssen wir abwarten, was mit Miroslav Klose passiert. Er hat einen Schlag auf das Becken bekommen und seine Bauchmuskulatur wurde in Mitleidenschaft gezogen. Er konnte das Spiel in Florenz nicht bestreiten. Er war aber am Telefon sehr optimistisch. Shkodran Mustafi hatte nach dem Spiel gestern noch eine Dopingkontrolle und seinen Flug verpasst. Er stößt heute zur Mannschaft."

…die Aufstellung für Mittwoch: "Toni Kroos wird auf jeden Fall spielen. Er hat sich wahnsinnig entwickelt. Durch die Ausfälle, die wir im Mittelfeld haben, bietet es sich an, dass Philipp Lahm im Mittelfeld spielt. Außerdem habe ich in diesem Spiel noch mal die Möglichkeit, auf der Außenverteidigerposition zu testen. Es gibt zwei Möglichkeiten. Eine war Lars Bender. Gegen Dänemark bei der EM hat er das hervorragend gemacht. Er wird aber jetzt nicht auflaufen. Kevin Großkreutz hat auf dieser Position in der Hinrunde gespielt und auch in der Champions League sehr gute Leistungen gebracht. Daher gehen meine Planungen in die Richtung, dass er auf der rechten Seite beginnt."

… die Neuen im Team: "Wenn jemand neu in die Mannschaft kommt und noch jung ist, wie zum Beispiel Lasogga, herrscht beim Spieler natürlich erstmal eine Nervosität vor. Daher ist es sehr wichtig, dass man mit den Spielern Gespräche führt und sie in die Aufgaben einweist. Wir haben heute und morgen die Gelegenheit, die Spieler noch mal intensiver zu sehen. Dann können wir entscheiden, wer wird am Mittwoch spielen und wer erstmal auf der Bank sitzen. Wir brauchen bei der WM die zu diesem Zeitpunkt besten Spieler und nicht die theoretisch besten Spieler. Alle haben noch eine Chance, auf den WM-Zug aufzuspringen."

… die Zeit bis zur WM: "Viele Spieler waren verletzt und haben noch keinen Spielrhythmus. Die Spieler müssen alles dafür tun, um in Topform zu kommen. Die Zeit bis zum Turnier wird genauso hart wie die WM, das ist mein Appell an die Spieler. Bei der WM gilt: Die Realität schlägt die Theorie. In der Theorie haben wir eine starke Mannschaft, aber in der Realität sieht das noch etwas anders aus. Darauf müssen wir in den kommenden Wochen den Fokus legen. Ich brauche bei der WM Spieler, die zu 100 Prozent fit sind, und einen Kader, der maximal belastbar ist."

… René Adler: "René Adler hat die gesamte Vorbereitung in Hamburg versäumt, war auch zuletzt etwas angeschlagen. Für ihn gilt, wie auch für andere, dass er erstmal gesund wird. Wir wissen, was wir an René Adler haben. Er hat in seinen letzten beiden Länderspielen, gegen Ecuador und Frankreich, hervorragend gehalten und uns mit seinen Leistungen überzeugt. Aber er hat noch Nachholbedarf, was Trainings- und Spielrhythmus angeht. Das ist auch so mit ihm abgesprochen."

… das Trainingslager in Südtirol: "Wir waren schon 2010 dort und finden sehr gute Bedingungen vor. Ein gutes Hotel, der Trainingsplatz in der Nähe, kurze Wege, all das sind wichtige Kriterien. Wir gehen am 21. Mai nach Südtirol. Und wir haben uns entschieden, die U 20 mitzunehmen. Es war eine Idee von Hansi Flick. Wir werden vielleicht im Zwei-Tage-Rhythmus gegen die U 20 spielen, um in Training einige Dinge zu simulieren. Das machen wir zum ersten Mal. Ich glaube, dass dies von Nutzen sein wird."

…über Sami Khedira: "Ich war die vergangenen Wochen ständig im Kontakt mit Sami Khedira. Er ist wieder im Lauftraining. Er ist mittlerweile sehr, sehr weit. Wir brauchen Spieler, die topfit sind und in der Lage sind, 90 Minuten zu marschieren. Aber es gibt Spieler, die haben aufgrund ihrer Persönlichkeit einen Mehrwert für die Mannschaft - auch wenn sie nur zu 80 oder 90 Prozent fit sind. Gerade bei Sami Khedira muss ich abwarten. Wie stellt sich die Situation im April dar, hatte er schon Einsätze, hat er Spielpraxis? Danach fällt die Entscheidung. Das ist die Ausnahme, aber nicht die Regel."

3 March 2014
Originally on tv.dfb.de. Uploaded here to prevent loss once removed from or moved on original site.

Löw optimistic on Khedira's World Cup chances, 26.02.2014

'Look but don’t touch' was the motto German national team coach Joachim Löw followed recently when he came face to face with the World Cup trophy. While he could easily have reached out to handle the 36.8 cm high prize of two jubilant players holding aloft the earth, he was not overly tempted to do so.

It was only a replica after all, and Löw will not settle for anything less than the real thing, especially as Germany have the chance to lift the actual 4.9 kg, 18 carat gold trophy in Rio de Janeiro this summer.

The final will be played in the Maracana Stadium in 140 days and Löw is conscious of the levels of expectation in Germany. The last time the nation’s football fans witnessed one of their countrymen hoisting the World Cup heavenwards was 24 years ago.

Alongside the country’s 80 million would-be national coaches, Löw is determined to quench Germany’s thirst for the biggest prize of them all. Nevertheless, the tactician is wary of promising too much, knowing all too well the unpredictable nature of the game and also that many factors - the team’s footballing ability aside - must come together in order to become world champions.

"Of course, we’ll give everything to win the title", Löw told Sport Bild, who had taken the replica along with them to interview the national coach.

However, the route to winning the World Cup has never seemed more difficult. The distances teams needed to cover at South Africa 2010 were intimidating enough, but they pale in comparison to what awaits in Brazil. This geographical landmass of this year’s tournament hosts is 24 times bigger than Germany and more than seven times larger than South Africa.

If Löw’s charges are to make it to the final in Rio they will have to deal with three different climate zones in the Brazilian winter, ranging from subtropical temperatures to more temperate conditions. Given those circumstances and the logistical and infrastructural challenges that lie ahead, Löw predicts the coming competition will be a "strenuous World Cup" and believes it will "not only require all of our physical strength but all our mental strength too".

The Germany squad will therefore need to be in peak condition in order to cope. It is therefore hardly surprising that a spate of injuries to key players in recent weeks has given Löw cause for concern. Yet the outlook is not entirely bleak and at present no potential squad member has been ruled out, even long-term absentee Holger Badstuber.

"I’m delighted for Holger that he’s started running again at Bayern Munich", Löw said. "The most important thing for him is to be healthy and then I’m sure he’ll find his way back, both at Bayern and with us. A player’s health should always come before playing at a World Cup."

The same applies to Sami Khedira. Some observers predicted that his chances of playing at the World Cup after his cruciate ligament injury against Italy last November were as low as ten per cent. However, Löw strikes an optimistic tone when talking about the midfielder now.

"The ambition he’s shown whenever I’ve spoken to him gives me hope that he’ll make it", Löw said. "On top of that he’s in unbelievably great shape right now. He doesn’t have any pain in his knee and he can put his weight on it no problem."

The was more good news for Löw with the recent return to action of Khedira’s midfield partner Bastian Schweinsteiger, who has also overcome injury. Schweinsteiger made his long-awaited comeback in mid-February against SC Freiburg and was in Bayern’s starting line-up a week later away to Hannover 96, much to Löw’s delight.

"With him I’m confident that he’ll have enough time to get back to his best", the coach said. When in form, Schweinsteiger is a "world class player" according to Löw, who is unequivocal about the midfielder’s place in the Germany squad: "Of course we want to have him with us. Bastian’s got an unbelievably important role in our game and in our team."

Yet Löw does not shy away from the fact that many question marks remain concerning key personnel, especially as midfield is the nerve centre of Germany’s game. Schweinsteiger and Khedira are not guaranteed to be fit in time, while Ilkay Gündogan is yet to return for Borussia Dortmund and clubmate Sven Bender will be out for around ten weeks with a pelvic injury.

"It’s definitely something I’m thinking about", Löw admitted. "If you’re strong in the middle of the park you can dominate your opponent." One possible option would be to push captain Philipp Lahm up from his traditional right-back position into centre midfield, as has happened at Bayern. "I’ll ask players like Philipp Lahm to play where they can be of most use to the team", said Löw. Asked where that might be, the coach responded: "That’s not a decision I need to make just yet, but I’ll decide in the run-up to the World Cup."

The team’s front line has caused Löw considerably fewer headaches now that both Miroslav Klose and Mario Gomez have returned for their clubs in Italy: "On the whole I’m not as worried about our attack. Obviously I hope Miro Klose and Mario Gomez find their form ahead of the World Cup."

Indeed it is Germany’s depth of attacking quality that is the source of Löw’s sanguinity: "We were the highest scoring European team in World Cup qualification and we have players like Mesut Özil, Toni Kroos, Thomas Müller and Mario Götze. Our options in attacking midfield are what set us apart as a team."

With just three months to go until the World Cup kicks off, there is still plenty to ponder for Löw. And while time is running out for some players, there are still enough weeks left for them to prove themselves.

And if everything goes to plan, the tactician will be in the Maracana on 13 July with the hopes of 80 million compatriots on his shoulders, all of them eager for him to lift the World Cup trophy. With a final glance at the replica before him, Löw concludes: "That would be nice, it’d be really nice. But I’ll only touch when I’ve won it."

26 February 2014
Originally on dfb.de. Uploaded here to prevent loss once removed from or moved on original site.