Loew limps toward German exit
Print Edition
Joachim Loew鈥檚 explanations of what went wrong in the German national team鈥檚 latest humiliating loss have become a familiar ritual.
When South Korea eliminated Germany from the 2018 World Cup, he said the team went to Russia 鈥減erhaps with a certain arrogance.鈥 When Spain routed his new-look team 6-0 last year, it was a 鈥渧ery dark day鈥 when 鈥渘othing worked.鈥
Loew did it again on Wednesday after North Macedonia beat Germany 2-1 in Duisberg the last qualifying game of his 15-year-tenure.
鈥淲e just lost many, many balls when playing forward,鈥 he told broadcaster RTL.
Facing counterattacks, he said 鈥渢he defense was not stable.鈥
There won鈥檛 be many more of these moments. Not necessarily because Germany will improve before playing World Cup champion France, European champion Portugal and Hungary at this year鈥檚 European Championship, but because Loew is leaving after that tournament. The 0-6 loss in Spain was the catalyst for him to bring forward his departure date, rather than cling on until the 2022 World Cup.
When Germany signed Loew to a four-year contract extension in May 2018, it showed faith in the coach who had led the team to the 2014 World Cup title. Even then, eyebrows were raised at the timing. Germany鈥檚 collapse at the World Cup in Russia the following month meant the final act of Loew鈥檚 long tenure would be a rebuild.
Germany鈥檚 showing in Russia was its worst World Cup campaign since 1938, and there鈥檚 been more unwanted history since. The loss to Spain was Germany鈥檚 biggest in 89 years. Losing to North Macedonia ended a 20-year, 35-game unbeaten run for the national team in World Cup qualifying.
Loew finds it hard to explain why his plans aren鈥檛 working. The team is built around Bayern Munich, the team that won the UEFA Champions League last season. Individual players are doing well for their clubs, like Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, who captained Germany on Wednesday, and Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger. They just don鈥檛 seem to gel in Germany shirts.
Injuries have played their part, too, leading Loew to use defensive midfielder Emre Can at left back and right back in successive World Cup qualifiers.
The pandemic-affected schedule means heavy legs and arduous travel, but that鈥檚 also true for North Macedonia, which started 37-year-old striker Goran Pandev in three games in six days. He still scored against Germany.
Loew has resisted reversing the central decision of his rebuild 鈥 dropping stalwarts Thomas Mueller, Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels in 2019.
Since then, Mueller has excelled for Bayern. Hummels and Boateng remain regulars at their clubs, too, while Loew has experimented with various uneasy center back combinations of Rudiger, Niklas Sule, Jonathan Tah, Robin Koch and Matthias Ginter.
One big difference between Bayern and Germany is the national team鈥檚 lack of an imposing center forward.
Bayern has Poland striker Robert Lewandowski, while Germany has Timo Werner. The Chelsea forward squatted with his head in his hands after missing a point-blank chance against North Macedonia, mirroring his problems adapting to the English Premier League this season.
And at left back, Robin Gosens, Philipp Max and Marcel Halstenberg have all played but none have staked a convincing claim to be first choice.
The build-up to Loew鈥檚 last tournament will be dominated by speculation about who will replace him. Loew has done some useful groundwork for his successor, like persuading 18-year-old Bayern forward Jamal Musiala to choose Germany over England.
Recent results mean the new coach will have another advantage 鈥 low expectations.
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