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Löw delighted with view from the stand

/noticias.info/ Joachim Löw may not have chosen the elevated position in the St. Jakob-Park stands from which he watched Germany's quarter-final win over Portugal – but the Mannschaft coach certainly enjoyed what he saw from behind the glass of his executive box.

'It had everything'
According to Löw, who was serving a one-game ban from the dugout following his sending-off against Austria, it was a match that had everything. "For me it was, of course, unfamiliar and difficult to have to watch such an important game from the stands, but it did mean I was able to get a better look at how both teams played," said Löw, after his return to the team's base at Tenero on Friday. "The two sides played at a consistently high level and the 90 minutes offered the spectators everything they could wish for from a football match. Our team was very well structured and used their physical strength to find their way into the game. From my elevated position it looked excellent."

Tactical success
The 48-year-old could be forgiven particular satisfaction for the success of his personnel changes, which raised a few eyebrows before kick-off. Löw opted to replace the injured Torsten Frings, Clemens Fritz and the out-of-form Mario Gómez with the trio of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Hitzlsperger and Simon Rolfes. Explaining his thinking, he said: "We knew after the Austria game that we were going to have to make a few minor adjustments. With the three new players, we were able to introduce lads who hadn't already used up a lot of energy during the tournament. Considering the Portuguese team, our tactics worked very well."

Switch in system
Reflecting on the change in formation from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1, the coach continued: "A good team needs to be capable of switching quickly from one system to another. It worked out well but our basic direction doesn't change because of that. No matter what system we use, we want to move forward quickly, switch effectively from defence to attack and keep possession of the ball. Maybe we will play differently again in the next game." The options for change are certainly open to Löw as aside from Torsten Frings, who should have recovered from the discomfort of his broken rib by next Wednesday's semi-final, his squad can boast a clean bill of health.

Optimism
It is not only with that in mind that he is looking forward with optimism to the meeting with the winners of the Croatia-Turkey quarter-final. "We showed yesterday just what we are capable of doing when we play to our full potential, no matter who our opponents are, although it will be difficult. The Croatians are clever and can control the pace of the game while Turkey have shown that they can at no point be written off, so it will certainly be a tough task." notas_de_prensa_archivo