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October 15, 2018

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Debate over coach as Germany hits a Loew

GERMANY coach Joachim Loew expects there to be a renewed debate over his future after a 0-3 loss to the Netherlands in the Nations League on Saturday.

“Of course, I have to expect that. It is something I have to live with. For this result we must all take responsibility,” he told reporters after the defeat at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam left Germany bottom of its group.

Loew’s contract runs until 2022, having been extended for two years in May.

He received a further vote of confidence from the German football federation in July, despite his side’s shock group-phase exit at the World Cup in Russia, after defeats to Mexico and South Korea.

“Debate is normal, but it is my job to prepare the team properly for the match against France,” he said.

Germany takes on the world champion in Paris tomorrow, which will be Loew’s 169th match in charge of the national side, more than any of his predecessors.

He has been in the job for the last 12 years and won the World Cup in 2014.

“It would have been acceptable to lose 1-0 in Amsterdam but what happened in the last 10 minutes was really bad,” he added after goals in the closing stages from Memphis Depay and Georginio Wijnaldum added to a first-half finish from captain Virgil van Dijk.

“We had chances so it’s a good question to ask why we didn’t score.

“It would have done our confidence the world of good had we taken those chances but you can see we are lacking confidence after the poor results we’ve had over the last months,” Loew added.

But Germany’s main newspapers were brutal with the head coach.

“Bottom marks for Loew! Irritation after questions over his future as a national coach,” said top-selling daily Bild.

Football magazine Kicker pointed out that despite Loew’s promises of a fresh start, little has changed.

“New start? Loew’s team are continuing the World Cup story.

“After the 3-0 debacle, the German team is fighting relegation. This is not a snapshot, but the logical consequence after a series of mistakes.

“It raises — again — the question of Loew’s future.”

Meanwhile, Van Dijk hopes the win over Germany marks a turning point for the Dutch after barren years.

“Let’s hope that is the case. We haven’t been on this path long but it feels like we are on the right road,” he told reporters after the victory, which marked a first success in 16 years over its neighbor.

The Dutch failed to qualify for both the last World Cup and European Championship in a dramatic decline after finishing third in Brazil in 2014.

“No one would have believed you if you had said before the game that we would win by a 3-0 scoreline. We must enjoy the feeling but we are not there yet,” added Van Dijk.

Coach Ronald Koeman took over in February in a bid to get the team back on track after the recent failures and said the victory was a much-needed boost for Dutch football. “I think everyone needed this win; the players, the staff and all of the Netherlands. You can see it from the reaction of the people. I’m really proud,” he told Dutch television.

Verification of potential progress can come quickly as the Netherlands play two more Nations League clashes next month when they host France in Rotterdam on November 16 and are away to the Germans in Gelsenkirchen on November 19.




 

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