Q: Tuesday’s match against record world champions Brazil is fast approach. Will you make any changes to the team?
Löw: Yes. I intend to select Marvin Plattenhardt for the game. I think Ilkay Gündogan will start as well as Leroy Sané. Of course, I can make substitutions during the game.
[mmc/cg]
Friday evening’s 1-1 draw against Spain was an exciting game and first-class preparation for the World Cup: Germany head coach Joachim Löw watched over a great performance from Die Mannschaft, which forms a building block for the upcoming weeks. Thomas Müller scored with a spectacular effort from distance on Friday evening to equalise the game and maintain Germany’s 22-match unbeaten run since the 2016 Euros semi-finals.
Löw speaks in an interview with DFB.de about the Spain game as well as the upcoming game in Berlin against record world champions Brazil on Tuesday (KO 20:45 CEST).
Q: Mr Löw, have Spain showed you how rocky the road to successfully defending the World Cup title will be?
Joachim Löw: Spain are one of the best teams in Europe. They have a huge amount of experience, so they know what to do in every situation. Spain and other experienced teams can and will play a decisive role at the World Cup.
Q: You’ve spoken of knowledge. What knowledge have you acquired and which bits are key?
Löw: I’ve learned a few lessons. You have to play an almost man-to-man system at the back, so that you can put a team who pass so well under pressure when they attack. It was worth taking the risk, even if we didn’t always manage it. I don’t normally do that without a single training session beforehand. You also have to take into account that other teams rate us highly, which is important to realise. The French and the Argentinians do that as well.
Q: Which added benefits can video analysis bring?
Löw: We still need to outline everything which needs working on. We can analyse the small errors from the game. With our passing game, we were able to make Spain run around a bit. You can see how we’ve developed over time. Both teams can show their full potential at the World Cup.
Q: Tuesday’s match against record world champions Brazil is fast approach. Will you make any changes to the team?
Löw: Yes. I intend to select Marvin Plattenhardt for the game. I think Ilkay Gündogan will start as well as Leroy Sané. Of course, I can make substitutions during the game.