The clinical, efficient and unshakeable Germany were fragile

Joachim Low faces some tough questions after Germany's defeat

The Golden Generation might never fulfill their potential. The tabloid newspaper leads with a feature entitled “Why we don’t win trophies anymore”. The national team coach returns home to face an endless torrent of questions over his future and the reasons for defeat.

This is not England, whose routine quarter final exit was this year greeted, uncharacteristically, with gloomy acceptance. This is not even France, where crisis and scandal around the national team are now so predictable that they hardly even merit being labelled as such. This is Germany. Solid, steady Germany. The team who was set to end the reign of Spain as they built methodically on the foundations laid over the the last three major tournaments.

After four games, the dream – as well as the favourites’ tag – was still alive and kicking. Joachim Löw’s side had waltzed through the group of death before dispatching Greece with the ease expected of them. In the words of the “kicker” headline of the morning after, though, “Then came the Italians.”

In the end, the psychological hurdle proved to be the one too many for this excellent Germany side. Faced with the ultimate opportunity to prove themselves, they could not live up to the occasion and, even during their dominant periods, could only faintly emulate the swagger which had carried them through their superior group stages performance. Only Manuel Neuer remained his usual positive self, spending most of the last two minutes in midfield, and making more of an impact there than Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mesut Özil had made for the entire game.

Tactically, Germany were as sound as ever. Technically, they were not so under par. Mentally, though, the clinical, efficient and unshakeable Germany were fragile. And it proved fatal. For Löw, the premature exit was “obviously something for which I take responsibility.”

The questions over the future of the current Bundestrainer were as quick to dissipate as they were to emerge. With Matthias Sammer having left the DFB to become General Manager at Bayern Munich, a potential Löw exit would almost represent a complete, unprecedented, and unnecessary overhaul.

Even without Sammer’s exit, however, any severe cross examination of Löw’s suitability was always going to be the entertainment of the minority. According to “Bild”, the fans’ favourites to replace Sammer include Olli Kahn, Steffen Effenberg and Berti Vogts. Behind Löw, the list of potential names is  considerably smaller.

With two years left on his contract, meanwhile, there are few Germany fans who would realistically want Löw replaced, and his plans for the World Cup in Brazil are as positive as ever: “We made a few too many mistakes against Italy,” he said, upon his return last week, “but our ambition remains unbroken.”

After their displays over the last two or three years, no one can doubt their quality and potential. Nor, unless they are extremely pedantic, can they pick too many holes in Löw’s tactical philosophy. Even their global popularity is high, a claim which few German teams of the past have been able to make. Psychologically, however, there is still some work to be done.

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• aaddffff

  Joachim Löw clearly spent too long ironing and folding up his shirt sleeves with clinical efficiency.

• AnusuyaDatta

  why blame the poor coach? it’s the players who lack the will to make it happen as the going gets tough.
  This sound just like the Indian cricket team before a certain Sourav Ganguly took off his shirt at the Lords. Or may be Gabriela Sabatini or Andre Agassi’s first avatar in tennis.

• lecce

  Germany V Italy Euros 2012 was Germany’s 20th semi-final in major tournaments. This has been converted to 13 Finals – 7 W.C. 3 wins, 4 runners up, 6 Euros 3 wins, 3 runners up. Not bad.
  This tournament the German defence was vulnerable – not Lahm – Thomas Mueller was poor and Loew did not know whether to stay with Gomez or Klose.
  Nevertheless Germany have a very good football tournament record.

• Aliend

  Germany does not win trophies anymore simply because pundits buy into their image rather than their actual strengths.
  Germany overpowers teams only when they are weak or vulnerable, but several times their bluff was called & they faltered. İ do not find they play with any great style & sometimes they underestimate opponents which backfires at them.
  All british sport pundits named Germany as their first favourite team to win the Euro championship, like they said in the last world cup & the euro before it.
  Germany does not have exciting players to turn a game around when the pressure is on.
  Klose has always been an overrated striker. Podolski would be very good but needs some tuning. Mueller is stale and stumbles, while Gomez can be lethal but still lacks greatness.

• Aliend

  Loool…i’d like to know how he keeps his shirts so stiff & neat. Starch maybe or just german stiff shirts!?

• Aliend

  A good tournament record but hardly great football!

• rob_rouge

  Germany lost because their opponents were better.

• NotMcKinsey

  So what is great football, then? A never ending debate of course. But if goal scoring counts for anything, which it does in my book, Germany have played great football consistantly for a very long time. Sure, there have been bleak versions in the 80’s and mid-90’s, but over all I think Germany’s reputation as a boring defensive team is undeserved. The mantra that they always win in the end and have luck on their side is also one of the greatest myths of football. If anything, Germany have won fewer titles than they should have, judging by how many finals they have played. They almost always get to the later stages of tournaments, and that is because they simply have the quality. When the British are surprised and wonder how, it is because they just lack any real knowledge of football.