Seville: Joachim Loew admitted it was a “black day” for Germany after their 6-0 drubbing against Spain in the Nations League piled pressure on the German coach.
Ferran Torres scored a hat-trick for Spain in Sevilla, leaving Loew to pick through the wreckage of Germany’s worst defeat for 89 years. “This has been a black day for us,” admitted Loew after Germany’s heaviest defeat since losing 6-0 to Austria in Berlin in 1931.
“We completely lost track of our plan after we went 1-0 down, which was deadly and the Spanish took their chances.
“Nothing worked, neither in defence nor attack. We left huge spaces, there was a lack of communication between the players.”
The thrashing was double that of Loew’s previous worst defeat as Germany coach when his side lost by 3-0 to both the Czech Republic in 2007 and to the Netherlands in 2018. Coming two years after their 2018 World Cup debacle, when Germany failed to get out of their group, this is the biggest crisis of Loew’s 14-year reign.
The 60-year-old, who led Germany to the 2014 World Cup title, insists he can still turn things around with seven months to go before the European championships kick off next June.
Image Credit: AFP
Germany face world champions France and reigning European champions Portugal in their group. “Of course,” Loew insisted when asked if he wants to stay on, with two years left on his German FA contract.
“It’s our duty to look at this and ask what we can do better. We were second best in every department, it was a black day – there is no way of dressing this up.’’
Loew, however, is not in danger of losing his job, national team director Oliver Bierhoff has said.
Germany have hit a rough patch this year, winning only three of their last eight matches, but Bierhoff said Loew would remain in charge at least until the Euros next year.
When asked if Loew would remain the coach until next year’s Euros, Bierhoff told ARD TV: “Absolutely, yes. This game changes nothing. We still trust Joachim Loew, no doubt about that.
“With the national team, you have to think and analyse from tournament to tournament. We want to achieve the maximum at next year’s Euros.” The Euros were originally scheduled for June-July this year but the tournament was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Germany needed only a draw to progress to the Nations League semi-finals but the result ensured Spain advanced as the top ranked team in the group.
Giroud’s double
Olivier Giroud bagged a double as he showed his worth for France again to help the world champions beat Sweden 4-2 at home in the Nations League. Giroud scored either side of Benjamin Pavard’s first-half strike as Les Bleus recovered from Viktor Claesson’s early opener.
Sweden, who reduced the arrears through Robin Quaison before France’s Kingsley Coman wrapped it up in stoppage time, were relegated into League B.
Didier Deschamps’s France side, who had already qualified for the Final Four, topped Group 3 with 16 points from six games, three points ahead of Portugal, who beat third-placed Croatia 3-2 away.
Sweden finished bottom on three points, behind Croatia on goal difference.