COMMENT:
Joachim Low's side have lacked leadership
and fitness in their opening Euro 2016 qualifying games and have to
rediscover their winning instinct
By Enis KoyluFootball rarely does fairy-tales like this. John O’Shea marked his 100th Republic of Ireland cap with a dramatic equaliser in Gelsenkirchen against a Germany team who were only crowned world champions three months ago.
As the visitors celebrated a brilliant result on the Veltins Arena turf, the recriminations started for their more illustrious hosts.
Joachim Low recognised that his charges were not up to scratch in their September fixtures in the build-up to the latest round of internationals but insisted that they would find their level. “In the past we’ve been better in October than in September,” he said, with some justification.
But, with just one point from the six they were expecting in the latest round of matches, the problems plaguing his squad cannot be ignored.
Drained by their heroic exploits in the summer, none of the World Cup heroes have been at their best so far this season. Thomas Muller has been the most impressive at club level, but was a shadow of the player who terrorised defences in South America in the games against Poland and Ireland.
The bigger problem, though, is the players who are missing. Philipp Lahm was an exemplary captain and the best full-back in international football. The absences of his influence and inspirational performances have been there for all to see.
He is not the only one, though. Low lost a further two 100-cap stars – Miroslav Klose, still his best forward, and Per Mertesacker, a reliable and experienced operator – and the exhausted stars who remain are yet to step up to the plate.
Bastian Schweinsteiger was appointed as Lahm’s successor but rarely plays for his country due to his unfortunate glut of injuries and Sami Khedira, another experienced star and a big personality in the squad is also missing.
Beyond that Marco Reus, arguably their best player, Andre Schurrle, a proven performer and regular squad members like the Bender twins, Ilkay Gundogan, Mesut Ozil, Christoph Kramer and even Mario Gomez are missing.
That Low only had four outfield substitutions at his disposal against Ireland, speaks volumes about the extent of the injury crisis affecting his troops.
With the scores locked at 0-0 at half-time in the Veltins Arena, many would have predicted Germany’s overtly superior quality to see them through and it almost panned out that way when Toni Kroos gave them the lead with a fantastic long-range shot.
But the absence of leaders stung them. Ireland had set out to frustrate prior to going behind but the opener forced them to come out of their shells and Germany were visibly rattled, giving the ball away in midfield and needing a heroic block from Erik Durm to deny Wes Hoolahan an equaliser before O’Shea’s dramatic strike.
Cooler heads were required, but with Manuel Neuer, the stand-in skipper, isolated in his own goal, it seemed that there was no one with the necessary experience to see the game out.
“We were naive at the end. It was obvious that we did not keep the ball in the last six or seven minutes. We lost balls in midfield and allowed them to put in crosses. That wasn’t right,” Low said.
Talk of the 54-year-old being under pressure and his side being in crisis is undoubtedly premature. Germany will snap out of their malaise and rediscover the winning formula at some point, but it cannot come soon enough.
All they are doing at the moment is making matters more complicated for themselves by failing to perform.
Their next engagement in qualifying – their last before the winter hiatus – is against Gibraltar at home and facing the minnows gives them a presentable opportunity to score a few goals and recover some confidence.
By the time their campaign resumes in March, though, they will be praying that their World Cup hangover has been banished.
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