The Germany national team are only one win away from securing qualification for the World Cup in Russia next year after their 6-0 victory over Norway. Head coach Joachim Löw speaks about the response from the crowd, the team’s formation and both the remaining matches in group C.
Q: How do you rate this overwhelming evening of football in Stuttgart?
Joachim Löw: We’ve seen here in Stuttgart just how beautiful the beautiful game can be and how enjoyable it can be. There was a great atmosphere right from the beginning and an absolutely awesome crowd who supported each and every player in our team. We did our bit as well.
Q: What worked better here than in the 2-1 win in the Czech Republic?
Löw: We played together brilliantly in the first half and created lots and lots of chances. There was a different feeling in the team; we pressured them a lot and were very dynamic in front of goal, which is something we were missing in the Czech Republic. The goals inevitably came, the team tried to keep up the tempo in the second half and to not allow chances against us. That made it a wonderful evening.
Q: Does the 4-4-2 formation suit the team better than having three at the back?
Löw: For God’s sake, no! We won the Confed Cup in this formation with a young team. It’s vital to have two different playing systems and a have plan B. All our players cut angles in the final third today, played their positions superbly, got into space and the wingers pushed up really high. We managed to get in behind them and cut lots of gaps in their defence with our dynamic play. But we still played it from the back, just as we did in the Czech Republic.
Q: Timo Werner was cheered this time...
The Germany national team are only one win away from securing qualification for the World Cup in Russia next year after their 6-0 victory over Norway. Head coach Joachim Löw speaks about the response from the crowd, the team’s formation and both the remaining matches in group C.
Q: How do you rate this overwhelming evening of football in Stuttgart?
Joachim Löw: We’ve seen here in Stuttgart just how beautiful the beautiful game can be and how enjoyable it can be. There was a great atmosphere right from the beginning and an absolutely awesome crowd who supported each and every player in our team. We did our bit as well.
Q: What worked better here than in the 2-1 win in the Czech Republic?
Löw: We played together brilliantly in the first half and created lots and lots of chances. There was a different feeling in the team; we pressured them a lot and were very dynamic in front of goal, which is something we were missing in the Czech Republic. The goals inevitably came, the team tried to keep up the tempo in the second half and to not allow chances against us. That made it a wonderful evening.
Q: Does the 4-4-2 formation suit the team better than having three at the back?
Löw: For God’s sake, no! We won the Confed Cup in this formation with a young team. It’s vital to have two different playing systems and a have plan B. All our players cut angles in the final third today, played their positions superbly, got into space and the wingers pushed up really high. We managed to get in behind them and cut lots of gaps in their defence with our dynamic play. But we still played it from the back, just as we did in the Czech Republic.
Q: Timo Werner was cheered this time...
Löw: I thought that was good and it was appropriate. Timo played more than 100 Bundesliga games for VfB Stuttgart as a young player and scored quite a few goals; he gave everything for three years here. I found what happened embarrassing and very harsh; he plays for Germany and he’s already scored a lot of goals in only a few games. It was great from the beginning today, all the spectators were supporting him. It was a real pleasure to be here.
Q: Werner runs in deep time and time again. Does he change the style of the team?
Löw: He causes big problems for his opponents and is extremely difficult to defend against because he charges towards goal and has incredible pace. When you watch him in a match or training, the way he plays is amazing considering the short amount of time he’s been in the team. He makes lateral runs, penetrating runs and so on, which is great for our link-up play because we can play the ball in behind their defence. I hope he can keep it up – it’s hard for our opponents to stop it.
Q: What are your plans for the last two qualification matches against Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan?
Löw: We were expecting Northern Ireland to win at home to the Czech Republic, which they did. Northern Ireland are strong at home and they’ve only conceded two goals in the group, which were both against us. They’ve kept a clean sheet in seven of their eight games so far! Now there will be a showdown between us which will be interesting, since they’ve already qualified for the playoffs at least.
