Wednesday, May 19, 2021
About speedy and disturbed people
Loew caused a lot of excitement
Joachim Löw sends a European Championship squad into the race, which lacks the really big exciters. This is surprising, because Löw regularly caused astonishment and horror at his many tournaments as national coach. That won’t happen this time. Time to remember the most controversial personalities.
When nominating his last tournament squad, Joachim Löw is unfaithful: Although the national coach surprises again with some personnel decisions, this time there is no real excitement. The fact that Löw reactivated the 2014 world champions Thomas Müller and Mats Hummels, who he had retired two years earlier, for the EM is logical and no longer a surprise.
The fact that he would bring back two players in striker Kevin Volland and defender Christian Günter who had not played any international matches (Volland) or even only one (Günter) for a long time was not necessarily to be expected. According to Löwschen standards, however, these are personal details with clear arousal potential. Because he has proven abundantly that Löw can do very different things.
Since being promoted to head coach of the DFB in 2006, Löw has regularly caused astonishment – or optionally horror – when announcing the squad. That was already the case at the home World Cup twelve years ago, when Löw was Jürgen Klinsmann’s assistant. The duo surprised experts, fans and even the previously untrained captain Michael Ballack with the frenzied winger David Odonkor. “It can be a secret weapon because it is so fast,” noted Ballack. Löw has continued the tradition of surprises in his tournaments as boss from the EM 2008 to the World Cup triumph in 2014 until now to the EM 2021.
World Cup 2006 (Germany):
National coach Klinsmann and assistant Löw amaze with the nomination of Dortmund’s David Odonkor, the winger without an international match. Others expect them to be there: Kevin Kuranyi, next to Fabian Ernst and Patrick Owomoyela the celebrity among the crossed out, can hardly believe when Klinsmann calls him and says: “I laughed and said: This is just fun, isn’t it? ” No, Klinsmann wasn’t joking, he was serious.
EM 2008 (Austria / Switzerland):
On Germany’s highest mountain, the Zugspitze, national trainer Löw causes several excitement. He eliminates goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand, until then the number 2 behind Jens Lehmann. Hildebrand reacts “shocked and irritated”. In goalkeeper René Adler and Gladbach second division climber Marko Marin, Löw conjures two new international players out of his hat.
World Cup 2010 (South Africa):
Löw surprises with his provisional 27-man list with the newcomers Holger Badstuber and Dennis Aogo. Both make it into the 23-man squad for South Africa. Goalkeeper veteran Jörg Butt from FC Bayern replaces the injured René Adler. Löw has to disappoint three players “immensely”: There is no room for Thomas Hitzlsperger, Marcel Schäfer and Christian Gentner.
EM 2012 (Poland / Ukraine):
Always something new at Löw: This time he nominated not three, but four goalkeepers. Marc-André ter Stegen from Gladbach can challenge his established colleagues. Schalke talent Julian Draxler is the other newcomer to the squad. Neither of them make it into the final tournament line-up. The deleted celebrities include the experienced midfielder Simon Rolfes.
World Cup 2014 (Brazil):
Goalscorer Mario Gomez and goalkeeper René Adler are missing from the initially 30-strong squad. “That annoys me so much,” complains Gomez. “Mario has only played 280 minutes since September,” explains Löw. The former regular Marcel Schmelzer is thrown out of the training camp, Kevin Volland and Shkodran Mustafi also get it. Defender Mustafi becomes world champion after all, because Marco Reus injured himself in the last test match before leaving for Brazil and Löw took Mustafi with him at the last minute.
EM 2016 (France):
Löw appoints four youngsters to the provisional 27-man squad: Julian Brandt, Joshua Kimmich, Julian Weigl and Leroy Sané. There is no space for four world champions – goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler as well as Matthias Ginter, Christoph Kramer and Erik Durm. But the hammer only follows in the training camp in Switzerland: In addition to Karim Bellarabi, Julian Brandt and Sebastian Rudy, Löw also removes Marco Reus from the final EM squad. “He has massive health problems. He can only walk straight ahead,” is Löw’s reasoning.
CONFED CUP 2017 (Russia):
For the World Cup test run with eight nations, Löw nominated the most radical tournament squad of his DFB tenure. He renounces all seasoned world champions and gives young players like Timo Werner a chance. In addition, the seniors Lars Stindl and Sandro Wagner celebrate a late DFB debut. Can that go well? Yes, and how! The perspective team led by Draxler wins the title in Russia: Stindl scores the winning goal in the 1-0 final against Chile.
World Cup 2018 (Russia):
Löw brings international newcomer Nils Petersen out of the box. At the ripe old age of 29, he can apply for a World Cup place in the training camp. The Freiburg player recommended himself with 15 goals in the Bundesliga. In South Tyrol there was then a big murmur when Löw sent home goalkeeper Bernd Leno, Jonathan Tah and Petersen as well as young star Leroy Sané. “Leroy has a huge talent, absolutely,” said Löw at the time. Three years later, Sané, who is now storming for Bayern, is set for the EM squad.
EM 2021 (in eleven countries):
Löw partially suspends the upheaval. He brings the veterans Thomas Müller (31) and Mats Hummels (32) back for a “successful” tournament. They are supposed to give “leadership” and “experience” to the unstable team. The DFB comeback of Monaco’s striker Kevin Volland and Freiburg’s full-back Christian Günter is surprising. Long-time national players such as Julian Draxler, Julian Brandt or Jonathan Tah have been rejected. “I know how painful you hurt the players and how they feel,” said Löw.
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