Stunned Germans vow to bounce back
Print Edition
Germany’s shock World Cup opening defeat to Mexico on Sunday has left its tournament plans in disarray but coach Joachim Loew sounded confident the world champion would quickly make amends.
The Germans were a shadow of their all-conquering self with the Mexicans springing a trap and the 2014 World Cup winners were caught on the break throughout the game.
Loew said while he was not planning to overhaul his plans for the remaining Group F matches against Sweden and South Korea, his team would bounce back.
“We will draw our lessons from this defeat and will do it better next time,” the 58-year-old said. “We will certainly not throw our plans overboard. We will not deviate from our path, we just have to find our strengths again.”
Those strengths are their attacking game and solid defense and both were painfully missing from their game against the Mexicans, who caught them on the break seemingly at will.
“It is an unusual situation for us but one we must accept. We did not play our usual offensive and passing game,” Loew said.
“We will analyze it. The team has enough experience to deal with it and we will rise again.”
The Germans have a stellar tournament record under Loew, having reached at least the semifinals in every World Cup or Euro tournament since he took over in 2006.
They have also not been eliminated at a World Cup group stage since 1938 when the tournament had a different and smaller format. Since then Germany has managed to qualify for the knockout stage or the second group stage, as was the case in 1978, every time.
But with pressure now mounting and some veiled criticism from his players, including Marco Reus, who said he had been told weeks ago he would not be starting the game despite his current fine form, Loew knows he must deliver.
Mexico’s astonishing win has raised hopes that it could finally break a long-running jinx at the World Cup and go beyond the second round.
Proceeding to the last eight or beyond has become a Sisyphean task for the Mexicans who have gone out in the last 16 at the last six World Cups and have not reached the last eight since they hosted the competition in 1986.
The routine is pretty much the same: Mexico arrives with high hopes but amid off-field rows, progresses comfortably through the group stage and then loses its nerve in the last 16.
The last World Cup was a classic example where Mexico led the Netherlands until the 88th minute before conceding two quick fire goals to lose 1-2.
Sunday’s shock win, however, has suggested that this Mexico team is psychologically stronger than its predecessors and that may just help it take the extra step.
“We have a professional in this area who has done a very good job,” coach Juan Carlos Osorio said on Sunday. “We work on psychology with books, videos, films and set phrases.”
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