Match against USA: Germany coach Joachim Loew thoughtful – SPIEGEL ONLINE

So quite knew Mario Götze not know what to do with himself now. No sooner had the game that the DFB team with 1: 2 lost against the USA, blown, Götze stood alone on the sideline. He looked at his coach Joachim Loew, who was press of Jürgen Klinsmann, his former boss and current coach of the Americans. Idol rocked a little from his toes to his heels, scratching his ear, wanted to go, but could not then but are.

So undecided as Götze was after the final whistle, so undecided had the game of the DFB team in the 90 minutes earlier. The German team can not even make a charge for the loss to the US team not strong because Loew sent a force into the field, which will probably never again deny an international match in this formation. In the starting line-up were only four players who had contested last year in Rio the World Cup finals.

The heading of the friendly match and also the upcoming European Championship qualifying match of the DFB-selection against Gibraltar (Saturday, 20.45 Clock, TV: RTL, live ticker SPIEGEL ONLINE) falls in the middle of the football free time of most players. Götze about came to DFB directly from his Ibiza holiday where he recently celebrated his birthday. André Schürrle, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski said clearly after the game that there is to interrupt as your own holiday for such a kind of soccer beautiful appointments.

“We lacked determination”

You could see at many of the DFB-players that they had paid more in the past 90 minutes, be careful not to hurt that they sometimes even avoided duels. After a long World Cup season like such behavior even be comprehensible.

“We have done in the first half, a decent game, but in the decisive moments we lacked determination,” Bastian Schweinsteiger said. Nothing in his expression or his tone was an indication that he would surprise his own analysis.

The initial game system of the DFB team acted as if the team could have done to try to score two quick goals to then leave the game ausplätschern to. The basic idea would be even almost worked: With Patrick Herrmann, who made his debut in the national team, at least one player showed extremely motivated and enthusiastic and devoted dribbled and sprinted repeatedly along the right side. Already in the 13th minute he was able to complete a solo run with a perfect pass on Götze, who has had no trouble pushing the ball from 14 meters against the direction of the US-Keepers.

wanted vigor and determination

That Götze currently has repeatedly struggling with the fact that he commutes between heaven and hell, between ingenuity and bungling and is increasingly working to get continuity in his performance, was also about twenty minutes later, visible: Mesut Özil played Götze completely free, the 23-year-old squandered a clear chance to score but reckless

The German team looked after as if she had someone showered minutes with cold water, Elan and determination were the until the end. Game not found again. “We have become a possession team, we are skills like ball winning, lightning-like counter-attacking, in-depth or to make long sprints, lost,” said Loew. He did not sound angry, not excited, but more like an engineer who broods about how he needs to change some details so that his machine is operating efficiently again.

In this respect the game against Klinsmann’s team was also a gain in knowledge for the Germany coach: Some tried out tactical variants, such as the deep decline of Schweinsteiger, the phases played a Libero or Sebastian Rudy, who as a right-back was given the task this time, more likely to generate pressure in the attacking half were useful.

Löw could also get an idea of ​​some of his controversial personal details: Lukas Podolski, who has a problematic season behind him, could not demonstrate rudimentary in his hometown of Cologne, he again could reach the level of a national player in the near future , The Bald-Wolfsburg Max Kruse demonstrated again after coming off the bench, that he does not really understand the Loew system and almost always goes to where it does not belong.

Shkodran Mustafi revealed that he still has problems with the management of a defense. Neither he could his neighbor Antonio Rüdiger provide stability, yet he had his direct opponent under control. When winning goal by Bobby Wood, who was staying still with the German second division side FC Erzgebirge Aue in the third League a few weeks ago, is Mustafi was fully loaded with a simple feint.

“We are in a transitional phase and still have some work ahead of us,” Schweinsteiger said. It is the main finding of the evening

Germany – USA. 1: 2 (1: 1)
1: 0 Götze (12)
1 : 1 Diskerud (41)
1: 2 Wood (87)
Germany Zieler – Rudy, Mustafi, Rüdiger, Hector – Schweinsteiger (46th Khedira), Gündogan (60. Kramer) – Herrmann (73. Bell Arabi), Özil, Schürrle (46th Podolski) – Götze (73. Kruse)
USA Guzan – Chandler, Alvarado, Brooks, Johnson (46. Evans) – Zardes (74. Wood), Williams (46th Beckerman), Bradley, Diskerud (74. Morales) – Johannsson (74. Morris), Agudelo (46th Yedlin)
referee : Makkelie (Netherlands)
Spectators: 40 348
Yellow cards: – Williams, Yedlin