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Germany need to part ways with Joachim Löw

By Yara El-Shaboury

AMSTERDAM, NETERLANDS - MARCH 24: Serge Gnabry of Germany controls the ball during the 2020 UEFA European Championships group C qualifying match between Netherlands and Germany at Johan Cruijff ArenA on March 24, 2019 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
AMSTERDAM, NETERLANDS - MARCH 24: Serge Gnabry of Germany controls the ball during the 2020 UEFA European Championships group C qualifying match between Netherlands and Germany at Johan Cruijff ArenA on March 24, 2019 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /
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The EURO 2020 is coming up, and if Germany want to have a chance at winning it, they need to part ways with Joachim Löw.

It doesn’t seem like too long ago when Joachim Löw led Germany to their fourth World Cup win after a stunning showing in the semifinals against the host nation, Brazil. The famous 7-1 win at the time emulated a German team that was full of strength, resilience, and fearlessness. The game showed how ruthless a team could be, and with Löw being at the helm of it all, he was seen as the genius behind Germany’s golden generation.

Based on Germany’s current performances though, you would never guess that they were such a powerhouse merely a few years ago, even though Löw and several of the same players are still actively part of the team. The 2018 World Cup, which proved to be a disastrous campaign with a shocking group exit, was only the beginning of what would be a low that the German national team had not seen in years.

The inaugural season of the UEFA Nations League did not prove to be much better, with Germany unable to win a single match, finding themselves relegated into League B.

Germany should find themselves qualified for the EURO 2020. However, their questionable performances have left fans skeptical on how far they can go into the competition. It seems like Löw and his coaching staff have run out of ideas on how to get the best out of the national team, and it may best for the DFB to say goodbye to Löw for several reasons.

Germany’s prime under Löw consisted of them playing using a 4-2-3-1 formation. With star players who were both technical (a skill needed to retain possession) and physical (a skill needed to suffocate the opposition constantly), Germany seemed unstoppable. This high pressing system worked and catered to all the strengths of the players.

Now Löw is insistent on a 5-2-3 system, a system that does not suit the strength of the current group of players. Germany currently have an abundance of talent in attack. Serge Gnabry, Timo Werner, Julian Brandt, Leroy Sané, and Leon Goretzka are all fantastic forwards who have shown their ability for their respective clubs.

Yet Löw’s 5-3-2 is insistent on playing seven defensive-minded players, even though he lacks strong defensive players. Not only does this force players like Gnabry and Werner to often play out of position, but it forces Germany to sit back and invite pressure. Germany’s defenders are not good enough to play a low block, without possession for a full match.

Why do Germany have a lack of defenders? Earlier this year, Löw announced that Mats Hummels along with Jérôme Boateng and Thomas Müller would not be part of his plans for the future with the national team. While all three did have poor World Cups, it seems baffling to especially isolate Hummels completely; a player who has played very well consistently at club level for the past several years.

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Löw publicly stated that his reasoning for this decision was to bring in more youth players. That being said, it is not like Germany have an abundance of young, talented central defenders. Currently, their center-back options that are fit include Matthias Ginter, Jonathan Tah, and Niklas Süle.

While all three do have potential, Hummels is easily still better than them, and with Löw currently opting for a back three, that leaves no pure central defenders on the bench except for Niklas Stark, a player who has had 0 appearances for Germany so far.

If Löw’s reasoning to leave out Hummels as well as Boateng and Müller stems from their average performances in Russia, the decision is rash and unfair. Most of the German players had a poor World Cup including Real Madrid star, Toni Kroos. Yet they were all called up by Löw. Germany’s leaky defence at the World Cup was not because of individual mistakes from Hummels and the other defenders. It was because Löw’s tactics left them horribly exposed with no help from the midfield whatsoever.

If the DFB do not actively seek another manager for the Germany National Team soon, another international competition will go by where the Germans underperform under Löw in a tournament in which they are considered favourites. It is Löw’s responsibility to get the best out of his players. He currently isn’t doing that, and he risks losing the legacy he built years ago.

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