Löw: “All focus on the 2018 World Cup”

The Germany national team have won their first qualification game of the year. Manager Joachim Löw’s team defeated hosts Azerbaijan by a score of 4-1 to celebrate their fifth win out of their five games played in Group C.

Following the game, the manager spoke on the performance of his team, André Schürrle, the Confederation Cup in the summer, and the depth behind Manuel Neuer.

Question: Joachim Löw, how happy are you with your team’s performance in the 4-1 World Cup qualification match against Azerbaijan?

Joachim Löw: We did absolutely everything we needed to in the match. It was a bit like a cup game against a team which plays a tier below you. If you’re not concentrating on the game from the outset, they can cause you problems. We hadn’t played together for some months, so our play wasn’t totally in sync. There were some issues and the game didn’t go exactly as we planned. However, in the end, we can be pleased with the result.

Question: Did André Schürrle’s performance surprise you?

Löw: No, I was not surprised. He’s had some struggles in Dortmund as of late, but nevertheless, he remains confident in himself. He looked excellent in training and I hope he can carry this momentum forward with him back to Dortmund for the next few weeks.

Question: What did the team do well?

Löw: I have to compliment our dressing room leaders. Over the eight to ten years we have almost always picked up clear wins against the smaller nations, in contrast to other nations who have had problems in their qualifications. That comes down to the players who lead the team and our strong base attitude.

Question: What still needs improvement?

Löw: We gathered more on a few important details. After the equaliser we pushed a bit high up, but my hope was that we would generally make fewer mistakes. It was not quite so smooth as it has been in the last year. Again, we need a few more games and more time training together.

Question: Did the game give you any further ideas for the Confederations Cup in the summer?

Löw: I have not been given many more ideas about the Confederations Cup. Of course we have discussed names but for now we are waiting until May to review how things develop. Everything is geared towards the 2018 World Cup, even though the U21s have an important tournament coming up as well. I will spare a few players here and there for the Confederations Cup. The World Cup takes priority.

Question: Against England you had Marc-André ter Stegen in goal, and against Azerbaijan it was Bernd Leno. Is there a pecking order behind Manuel Neuer?

Löw: We want to keep the pecking order open. Manu is the undisputed Number One, but after him we have very, very good alternatives.