UEFA Nations League: Germany vs Spain

Hello and welcome one and all to DW’s coverage of Germany’s 2020/21 UEFA Nations League campaign, which gets underway against Spain in Stuttgart on Thursday (kick-off 20:45 CEST, 18:45 GMT, 14:45 ET). We will get the ball rolling on our live blog when the team news is released, until then feel free to peruse our pre-match preview. 

2018/19 UEFA Nations League: Recap

Were it not for the UEFA Nations League restructuring, Germany would have been relegated in the inaugural season after finishing bottom of League A Group 1 and without a win to their name.

Following on from the disappointment of the 2018 World Cup, Germany started with a promising goalless draw against France. However, two defeats in the space of three days in October – 3-0 vs Netherlands and 2-1 vs France – only heaped more misery on a sidestill struggling to transition.

The campaign took further gloss of Germany’s reputation and led to questions being asked of head coach Joachim Löw. Those questions still haven’t been answered and, as a result, redemption will be on the mind during the 2020/21 campaign.

Read more: Exclusive interview with Germany team director Oliver Bierhoff

From the coaches’ mouth: Joachim Löw

“We are delighted to have our team back out on the pitch. The past few months have been difficult for everyone. I want to go into the tournament with a confident side, who don’t orientate themselves based on opponents, but brings their own game to the pitch.” 

From the coaches’ mouth: Luis Enrique

“If the European Championship were to be played tomorrow, this would be my team. All players have to take a step forward, whether they are 17 years old or 19 years old or 33 years old. Our aim at the EUROs next year is to win the title.”

Pre-match spotlight: Debutants?

Löw has called up three first-timers in his 23-man squad. Oliver Baumann has been rewarded for years of hard graft at Freiburg and Hoffenheim and “brings 10 years worth of consistent performances” according to Löw.

Gladbach’s Florian Neuhaus, described as an “intelligent player” by Löw, is the latest to make the step up from the Under-21s, while Robin Gosens could make his debut at left-back on Thursday after “a very strong season” with Serie A side Atalanta.

From the player’s mouth: Robin Gosens

“The EUROs are still a while away. I’m want to savor the moment and make my first impression count. What speaks for me is my whole package. I have a lot of qualities to make an impact on the left flank both in an attacking and defensive sense.”

Read more: Atalanta’s Gosens ready to make his mark for Germany

Pre-match spotlight: Kai Havertz

Havertz’s impeding transfer to Chelsea is becoming somewhat of a running gag, but it will likely impact his role against Spain and Switzerland. Even though he has reportedly completed his medical, Löw is unlikely to let the 21-year-old complete the full 90 in either game. 

Last meeting: Germany vs Spain

Germany boast nine wins to Spain’s seven in 23 previous encounters. The most recent meeting saw Thomas Müller score for what could be the last time as a member of Die Nationalelf as his goal before half-time cancelled out Rodrigo’s earlier effort in a 1-1 draw in Düsseldorf. 

Possible line-up: Germany

Trapp – Ginter, Süle, Rüdiger – Kehrer, Kroos, Gündogan, Gosens – Havertz, Werner, Sane

Possible line-up: Spain

De Gea – Navas, Ramos, Torres, Gaya – Rodri, Thiago, Fabian – Rodrigo, Gerard, Asencio

• Joachim Löw, the world’s longest-serving national team coach

  Longest-tenured national team coach

  In March 2020, Uruguay’s football association laid off its longtime first team coach Oscar Tabarez, 73, as it struggles financially amid the coronavirus crisis. His removal made Germany coach Joachim Löw, whose tenure began three months after Tabarez’s in 2006, the longest-serving coach in international football.

• Joachim Löw, the world’s longest-serving national team coach

  Unspectacular playing career

  Joachim Löw’s career as a player was anything but spectacular. In his 52 Bundesliga matches as a striker for Stuttgart, Eintracht Frankfurt and Karlsruhe, the native of southwestern Germany found the back of the net just seven times. Much of his time as a player was spent at then-second division side Freiburg.

• Joachim Löw, the world’s longest-serving national team coach

  A switch to coaching

  Even before he hung up his boots, Joachim Löw turned his hand to coaching, first as a youth coach at Swiss outfit FC Winterthur, were he was still playing in 1994. In 1995 he broke into the Bundesliga as co-coach at his former club Stuttgart, before being named head coach a year later. Here he is seen speaking to Thomas Schneider, who would later become his assistant with the national team.

• Joachim Löw, the world’s longest-serving national team coach

  Turkish tenure

  Despite winning the German Cup with Stuttgart in 1997, Löw was let go by the Swabians. In the summer of 1998 he took a job with Istanbul side Fenerbahce, who he led to a third-place finish. Still, he would only last a year at the club.

• Joachim Löw, the world’s longest-serving national team coach

  First-place firing

  After spells at Karlsruhe, Adanaspor and Innsbruck, Löw moved on to Austria Vienna, in the summer of 2003. This too would turn out to be a short interlude, as he was sacked in March, despite the club occupying first place in the table. Without him, Austria would finish second in the league by a single point.

• Joachim Löw, the world’s longest-serving national team coach

  The Jogi and Jürgen show

  After Rudi Völler resigned as coach of the German national team, another former Germany striker, Jürgen Klinsmann, took over. One of Klinsmann’s first moves as Germany coach was to appoint Löw as his assistant.

• Joachim Löw, the world’s longest-serving national team coach

  Summer fairy tale

  Klinsmann and Löw led Germany into the 2006 World Cup on home soil, where they lost to Italy in the semifinals. The “home” World Cup created a great atmosphere all over Germany, where public viewing of games first took place on a large scale. Here Klinsmann and Löw are flanked by goalkeeping coach Andreas Köpke and manager Oliver Bierhoff at a post-tournament event in Berlin.

• Joachim Löw, the world’s longest-serving national team coach

  Euro final defeat

  After succeeding Klinsmann as head coach, Löw’s first major tournament in charge was Euro 2008. He led Germany to the final in Vienna, but they were defeated 1-0 by Spain.

• Joachim Löw, the world’s longest-serving national team coach

  Spain again…

  At his first World Cup as head coach, Joachim Löw’s young squad cruised by England (4-1) in the round of 16 and crushed Argentina (4-0) in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, though, Germany ran into the more experienced Spanish side, who prevailed 1-0. Here Löw is seen congratulating a young Mesut Özil during the England match.

• Joachim Löw, the world’s longest-serving national team coach

  No laughing matter

  Joachim Löw’s men got out to a perfect start to Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine, winning all three of their group-stage matches, before beating Greece 4-2 in their quarterfinal: It was Germany’s 15th consecutive win, setting a new world record. However, there would be no happy ending, as Germany fell 2-1 to bogey side, Italy.

• Joachim Löw, the world’s longest-serving national team coach

  World Cup champions

  It all came together for Löw in 2014. Germany beat Portugal and the US, while drawing with Ghana to progress from the group stage. They needed extra time to beat Algeria in the round of 16 and struggled past France 1-0. But they crushed hosts Brazil 7-1. The final, against Argentina, also went to extra time, before Mario Götze scored the winner to give Germany a 1-0 win – and the World Cup.

• Joachim Löw, the world’s longest-serving national team coach

  Down to earth in France

  Löw’s next major tournament was Euro 2016, just next door in France. Germany advanced to the knockout stage with two wins and a draw before beating Slovakia and Italy to set up a semifinal showdown against the hosts in Marseille. Germany came up short though, falling 2-0 to France.

• Joachim Löw, the world’s longest-serving national team coach

  A minor title

  Germany won their first Confederations Cup under Joachim Löw in 2017. It was far from Germany’s best side that turned out in Russia, with Löw choosing to rest several first-string players in ancipation of the World Cup 12 months later. Germany beat Chile 1-0 in the final thanks to a goal from Lars Stindl in the 20th minute. Germany’s future looked very bright indeed.

• Joachim Löw, the world’s longest-serving national team coach

  What a difference a year makes

  With a full-strength squad, Germany were regarded as one of the favorites heading into the 2018 World Cup in Russia. But they looked a shadow of their former selves, losing to Mexico and South Korea and finishing bottom of their group. Despite the poor showing, Löw said he intended to fulfill his contract, which the German football association (DFB) extended until 2022 before the tournament.

  Author: Chuck Penfold

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/uefa-nations-league-germany-vs-spain-live-blog/a-54795391?maca=en-rss-en-sports-1027-xml-atom