From IAB Angle

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You must go, Herr Löw!

For cowardly ruining a chance that comes once in quarter of a century.

For destroying a dream not only of a whole German nation but also many friends around the world: “The ganze Welt drückt uns die Daumen!”

For destroying a dream of a whole German nation as remember in times of crisis the only thing poor and commons have is football “Panem et circenses” (bread and games, Arbeit und Spiele).

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I always say that a match is played by 11 on the pitch and that coach hasn’t much to do with it, but this time it was so evident that your cowardly and “Planlos” game led to shameless losing. (I wonder now if in those two great victories with 4 goals, it actually happened by chance, and then the merit was attributed to you). And what kind of losing, just 0:1 – I wander if Spaniards can score at all (they squeaked through in last three games always with only 1:0). The team which gave 12 goals to Australia, England and Argentina couldn’t score?! It was painful watching German players, who were badly instructed to stay in their half and wait. Again and again German team played so-called “zone” – covering all possible ways towards their goal, but not covering particularly any opponent player.

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You search Google and it tells you that “Playing a zone is usually less tiring than playing man-to-man, … If a team is behind in the game, playing a zone is a poor strategy”. Why, because zone in football allows the winning team to develop its game and keep the pressure for another goal instead of other way around, Herr Löw. “Less tiring” – but we thought that German players can run 20km and not usual 10km per game.

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I can’t believe that German ball possession was 49% – must be an error.

We only saw one team playing and it was Spain on the German half. (Nevertheless Spain could play yet another game still not being able to score. BTW Puyol’s goal was a goal of desperation and zeal of the last defence man in Spanish team, what about those famous expensive strikers?)

…German players lost so many balls that it was pitiful to watch, they could not get the ball out of their half, while in the same time they let Spain develop the game close to 16m box unchallenged. Because they were instructed to safeguard draw result and play for extra time, where German fitness was expected to prevail. Not only that they were badly instructed, but it was catastrophe and that’s why you have to go, Herr Löw.

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There was a lot of hype about Löw’s contract not being extended (not even after double 4 wins?) and we learned from media that while England coach Fabio Capello gets 10 millions, Löw only got 3 million. It’s a lot of money to cowardly lead the game! And ruin a chance that comes once in quarter of a century.

…Well, after the first half I was sincerely expecting that in changing room Löw will shout and tell his players to remember that football is the game about scoring goals and attacking. Instead of that they came out and played even worse defensive, pointless, a game without a plan. Or I am wrong – there was a plan – to safeguard 0:0 result?!

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After two 4-goal wins you were hailed, Herr Löw, with all sort of compliments for German game – young&new, propulsive, efficient, likeable game. Indeed the team was quite young and new, and there were some novelties, like there was no team B but all the 22 players on the list are equally eligible to take part in the team anytime. What an illusion.

…And since all 22 players can take part in any game anytime, I would wish that you’re fired before the game for 3rd place and that all those no-names play for secured 4th place in the World Cup 2010. What a result! For some nation, like Uruguay or Ghana that would be the highest possible achievement, but for Germany that is a FAILURE.

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And that’s why you should go – for 2nd time in row not managing to get the trophy for Germany. That was your mission, Herr Löw, and not 3rd or 4th place – like that pathetic slogan “Danke Jungs für 2. Platz” after the FAILURE in 2008 Euro Cup in Austria/Switzerland, and producing DVDs.

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À propos young&new trainer there was another element, which may escape a common football spectator but it shouldn’t have escaped you, Herr Löw, as supposedly experienced coach. The old fox del Bosque, Spain coach, outwitted you big time. How? By playing slow, slooow at the very beginning of the game – he cut German wings, he cut the elan, the enthusiasm, the rhythm (that word you like the most) … but this is how you play against teams like England and Germany. You should at least have learned that of recent loss against Serbia, and many successes (ex-)Yugoslavia teams had with Germany and England. You must have been very much surprised, as the game in the first half was dragging and your “Jungs” could not storm any decent threat to rough and rabid (but smart) Spanish defence. So your “Jungs” with a discipline (as Germans do) played the ZONE and let Spaniards “dance” around German 16m-box.

…But then, why didn’t you tell them that in the break? What on Earth you told them in the break? And that coach-assistant of yours, couldn’t he see all this and warn you. No, because he is just under your thumb – two coaches without real football career. Germany needs Netzer or Magath or Oliver Kahn or someone who played football and made some results!

…Germany is a giant football nation and needs a giant coach, the one with lion’s heart, Herr Löw. Germany also needs the best possible team, not the best YOUNG team, as you managed to alienate many strong man and ended up with no-name lineup. What about that new goalie – Neuer (means Newcomer, n.b.)? Couldn’t he at least once make a brave save and save the face of the nation?? He didn’t see the Jovanovic’s goal, neither yesterday he saw Puyol’s header. What a pity – having just someone to collect lame balls in front of the goal, and never excelling beyond impossible. But that is very German slogan – “Excelling beyond impossible”.

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And at the end about the referee (Hungarian Kassai). No yellow cards, while we saw at least 3 heavy tackles on German players, 2 of which in 16m-box (one just before the end of first half on Özil). So Germany could have been awarded 2 penalty-kicks and win eventually. But… there is a popular saying of Gary Lineker that circulated during this World Cup: “Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win (on penalties)”. There is a “joker” however in that game – a referee, who makes the game really unpredictable by “a slew of mistakes”, and no matter how better one team is the referee can turn the end result upside-down. Well, this Hungarian didn’t save Jogi Löw.

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Bye-bye Herr Löw, I sincerely hope that soon we’ll be gratified with a coach with a stature and that we won’t feel anymore shameful watching German national football team. (You can produce your DVDs – I will buy myself “Aus der Tiefe des Raumes”, Netzer’s bio, as he is the only one that should have been German coach, if readers didn’t know.)