Joachim Löw rejects any notion of a 'must-win' situation for the German national team at the forthcoming European Championships. "I couldn't be further away from all those suggesting that 2012 is an all-or-nothing kind of year for us," said the Germany head coach in Munich today, on the fringes of what have been dubbed The Marketing Days, with players and coaching staff focussing on meeting the manifold demands of the DFB's commercial partners, and with photo and commercial shoots, not match tactics, on the agenda.
The "team to beat are and continue to be Spain," as Löw puts it, while acknowledging that Germany, too, are among the bookmakers' favourites. "We're fully aware of that, but it's not going to make us fail or even break under pressure."
"The team has only just begun to develop"
Generally speaking, Löw foresees a rosy future for what is arguably Germany's youngest-ever squad. "No matter how we fare in the tournament, there will be no need to go for a complete changeover," because players like Mario Götze, Mesut Özil, Toni Kroos, Mats Hummels and a host of others could well be around for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. "This team has only just begun to develop, even Bastian Schweinsteiger or Philipp Lahm will still be fit to feature in 2014 or 2016."
Löw has the unenviable task of selecting a final EURO 2012 squad of 23 from a wider pool of currently 25-30 candidates. "For anybody new to join this larger group, he would have to play fantastically. At the moment though, we've got all positions well covered."
Podolski, Götze injuries – no need to worry
According to Löw, the pool referred to above expressly includes Lukas Podolski and Mario Götze, both of whom are nursing injuries that will keep them sidelined for a while. "I've called Lukas and I think a 3-4 week break is not going to be much of a problem." Podolski was diagnosed with a partial ligament rupture in his left ankle on Sunday.
Neither does he seem unduly worried about Dortmund midfield magician Mario Götze's stress fracture of the pubic bone, an injury that usually requires 6-8 weeks to heal. "I'm not going into panic mode when it's only late January. I am confident Mario will be back soon enough; the important thing now is for him to rest and give his body time to fully recover." Löw adds that at this time of year, "you've got to take injuries in your stride. Now, if someone tore his cruciate ligament – that would be really bad."
