Berlin: Germany’s manager Joachim Loew’s 15-year spell ended on a sour note with the former world champions dumped out of Euro 2020 by arch-rivals England.
“There is a huge disappointment. In the locker room, it was completely silent. Everyone is down to the ground,” the 61-year-old Loew said on Tuesday.
Loew announced after the match that he was taking a break to “refill” his energy sources, reports Xinhua.
“I might feel a total disappointment and, to some extent, emptiness after such a long time with the team. After that, there might be new challenges waiting for me,” the former striker said.
A few weeks back, Loew had said he would like to take a six-month break following the Euro 2020 and perhaps manage a club on return.
The 2014 world champions’ departure following a 2-0 loss in the last-16 encounters was on account of technical superiority of the England team.
Not only did Thomas Mueller, Leon Goretzka and Toni Kroos fail, the German coach’s reluctance to change his line-up and tactics earlier in the game led to their defeat.
Mueller’s wasted chance in the 81st minute gave enough indication that the Germans were not able to discover their winning mentality.
In his last tournament on the German bench, Loew didn’t risk turning things around as he did against 2016 European champion Portugal (4-2).
The team might need significant changes in its game plan when Loew’s successor Hansi Flick takes charge.
“This leaves behind a sad feeling for us considering it was our coach’s last game,” German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer said.
Loew took over as head coach in August 2006 after two years as assistant coach of Juergen Klinsmann. He won 124 of his 198 games, making him one of the country’s most successful national coaches.
“We owe him a lot,” Neuer added. The Bayern keeper called the duel against England a “close issue with us not using our chances. England, in the end, showed more greediness”.
Midfielder Toni Kroos said: “When he (Loew) took over, Germany started to play football. He did a lot for German football; we shouldn’t forget that.”
“We should be optimistic when talking about the Euro 2024 to be hosted in Germany. Many of our young players will have reached a top-level by then. To leave with disappointment will require some time to get over,” said Loew.