One really can’t help but notice how well dressed the very soft spoken 52 year old Germany coach Joachim Löw is, all time.
The stylish Löw began his soccer career with Bundesliga Club SC Freiburg in 1978 and still holds the club’s total record in goal scoring. He has competed four times in the under 21 Germany national squad and is today considered by many to be a meticulous, innovative and a well prepared strategist.
He took over from former coach Juergen Klinsmann in 2006 and led the German squad all the way to the finals in the Euro 2008 tournament only to lose 1–0 to Spain in the finals. In the 2010 World Cup semi-finals, Germany once again lost 1-0 to Spain settling for third place honors having won the play-offs against Uruguay.
No doubt, he’s made it very clear that he wants to win. He was reportedly quoted as saying that the Germany team is “yearning for a major title” and that ultimately, he himself would like to crave a spot for himself in football history.
Seeing as how Germany has not won a major title since the 1996 European Championships, many soccer enthusiasts believe that this year may indeed change all of that.
Besides, there’s a score to settle with arch rival Spain and he thinks it’s time to dethrone the kings and end their reign once and for all.
And many believe that there’s never been a stronger and more dynamic team than the one Joachim Low has under his wings now.
With the likes of experienced players like Philipp Lahm, Klose, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Miroslav Klose- the Germany team will also benefit from the younger players like Thomas Muller, Mario Gotze, Mesut Ozil and Mats Hummels- all of whom have shown enormous potential and talent.
Joachim Low apparently agrees and was quoted as saying “We have a very balanced squad with a good age structure.”
Final Cut for the Germany Euro 2012 Schedule squad:
Goalkeepers:
Manuel Neuer
Tim Wiese
Ron-Robert Zieler
Defenders:
Holger Badstuber
Jerome Boateng
Benedikt Howedes
Mats Hummels
Philipp Lahm
Per Mertesacker
Marcel Schmelzer
Midfielders:
Lars Bender
Mario Gotze
Ilkay Gundogan
Sami Khedira
Toni Kroos
Mesut Ozil
Bastian Schweinsteiger
Strikers
Mario Gomez
Miroslav Klose
Thomas Muller
Lukas Podolski
Marco Reus
Andre Schurrle
Earlier on Saturday, Germany lost 5-3 in a friendly match with Switzerland in Basel. With a 2-0 win over Israel in Leipzig, the German squad will take on Portugal in their tournament opener.