Die Maanschaft’s Road To World Domination: Did Joachim Low Overstay On The Germany Job?
Joachim Low conquered the world with Germany but the years that followed saw him and Die Maanschaft fail to reach the levels expected of them. Did the German manager overstay in his role? Should he have left when the ovation was loudest?
Written by Olugbenga Olonade
Germany’s triumph at the FIFA World Cup in 2014 represented the climax of a process that began after the country’s catastrophic showing at the European Championships in 2004. Die Mannschaft‘s performance at the 2002 World Cup – which saw them finish as runners-up to Brazil – had somewhat misled supporters and neutrals alike into thinking that the country’s shambolic showing at Euro 2000 was a one-off.
Berti Vogts had led the team to the apex of Euro 1996, but the subsequent tournament saw an anti-climax of epic proportion. One point in the opening group game against Romania followed by losses to England and Portugal in the subsequent games meant that The Erich Ribbeck led team crashed out of the competition in the first round after scoring just one goal and conceding six.
Joachim Low’s task was a monumental one, he was taking charge of a team that had won the World Cup as well as the European Championships three times each. The weight of expectation on the then 46-year old was massive and to be frank, it was more logical to be pessimistic about his appointment considering the fact the he didn’t necessarily have the most glamourous of resumés either as a player, or as a coach.
The World Cup in 2002 felt like redemption season, Rudi Voeller had been appointed coach following the dismal outing at Euro 2000 and all seemed well again. Germany lost to a Ronaldo De Lima inspired Brazil in the final of Japan/South Korea 2002 and optimism rose again for the future. The enthusiasm among German fans was quickly quelled in Euro 2004, the team had yet another abysmal tournament, finished third with just two points in a group that contained the Czech Republic, Netherlands and Latvia. Knocked out in the group stages yet again.
Jurgen Klinsmann brought back some national pride on home soil in 2006 by posting a third-place finish at the World Cup. The former Inter Milan, Bayern Munich and Tottenham striker stepped down upon expiry of his contract and in came Joachim Low.
Joachim Low’s task was a monumental one, he was taking charge of a team that had won the World Cup as well as the European Championships three times each. The weight of expectation on the then 46-year old was massive and to be frank, it was more logical to be pessimistic about his appointment considering the fact that he didn’t necessarily have the most glamorous of resumés either as a player, or as a coach.
This was a man that won nothing as a player, never represented the Germany at senior level, and his biggest achievement as a manager prior to his appointment with the Germany national team were the league title in Austria and a couple of domestic cups in Austria and Germany. It simply wasn’t an appointment that inspired much confidence. The next few years that followed would change all that.
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Low had one key factor that worked in his favour, the job wasn’t entirely new to him. He had been assistant coach to Jurgen Klinsmann, his predecessor, so he wasn’t walking into an unfamiliar territory. He knew the players – at least, most of them – and he was familiar with system, so it didn’t take him long to settle. A runners-up finish at Euro 2008, a third-place finish at the World Cup in 2010 and a quarter-final placing at Euro 2012 made it clear to everyone that it was only a matter of time before Germany won a major title again.
The Deutschland peaked in 2014. a fine blend of experience and some of the best young talents in European football, nicely blended in a possession based, attacking tactical set up that has been worked on time and time again was Joachim Low’s recipe for a World Cup triumph. The final at the Maracana was literally the peak of Low’s career! It came after a 7-2 whitewash of hosts and favorites to win the tournament, Brazil. The 1-0 victory in the final over Brazil’s fierce rivals, Argentina placed Low and the Germany team on top of the world. They were world champions for the first time in twenty four years.
Since the 2014 triumph, Die Maanschaft went on to reach the semi-finals of the 2016 European Championship, won the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2017 and had a couple of completely underwhelming outings at the 2018 World Cup (knocked out of the group stages after finishing last) and Euro 2020 (knocked out in the second round), which in a poetic way saw them come full circle.
Low left his role as manager of the German national team after Euro 2020, a decision that had been made before the start of the tournament. Many however argue that he should have left the job when the ovation was loudest, others opine that he took the right decision by staying on the job to cement his legacy, Irrespective of the part of the divide that you belong to, the impact of Joachim Low on the German national team can never be disputed.
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