[情報] Low: We've made real progress
Low: We've made real progress
(FIFA.com) Monday 18 January 2010
In football-obsessed Germany, rarely has a national coach been as popular as
Joachim Low, a native of the Black Forest who celebrates his 50th birthday on
3 February. His expertise from the dugout and personal elegance are the ideal
attributes for the top job in a country which has won the FIFA World Cup™
three times, where knowledge and proficiency are valued above all other
qualities, but which has always demanded idols with personal charisma and a
strong personality.
The former forward, fondly nicknamed Jogi, remains the all-time leading
scorer for Freiburg, although his playing record for his country amounts to
just four U-21 appearances. His skill as a coach is more highly regarded. As
Jurgen Klinsmann’s assistant, Low was widely acknowledged as the brains of
the operation. His meticulousness and tactical wisdom have earned him a
reputation as a guru of the game, while his highly fashionable dress sense
and natural charm make him a perfect figurehead in a media-intensive world.
Above all else, Low is hungry for success. He succeeded Klinsmann after
Germany 2006, with a brief to develop the national team’s newly-acquired
attacking instincts. He frequently refers to 'possession quotas', by which he
means the interval between a player receiving a pass and releasing the ball.
During his time in charge, this measure has decreased significantly for
Germany, leading to a much higher tempo.
Low’s Germany are now aiming to play attractive and successful football in
South Africa. The nation currently lying sixth on the FIFA/Coca-Cola-World
Ranking will travel to the 2010 finals with their customary ambitious
targets. While on a visit to Cape Town, Low met FIFA.com for an exclusive
interview.
FIFA.com: Joachim, you’ve been to South Africa a number of times in the
build-up to the FIFA World Cup, and you’ve got to know Johannesburg and Cape
Town quite well. What are your impressions?
Joachim Low: Cape Town is fascinating, a fabulous city with an unbelievably
beautiful setting: the ocean, the mountains and a terrific atmosphere. The
people here are open, friendly and multicultural. Johannesburg is obviously
rather different, but South Africa 2010 will be a tremendous World Cup.
What’s your plan for Germany in the run-up to the tournament?
We began making preparations at an early stage, and also commissioned
analyses of the contrasting micro-climates and altitudes affecting the
matches in South Africa. We’ve talked it all through and worked hard on that
aspect. But the World Cup starts for real now. We can finally step up our
preparations because we know who we’re playing against and where.
Looking back briefly to 2009, it was an eventful year with a happy ending for
Germany, wasn’t it?
My verdict on the year is positive. We came through our World Cup qualifying
group undefeated and we beat the Russians twice. They were very strong
opponents, so our victory away to them was a real highlight.
So you’re fully satisfied?
Between times there were a couple of matches where we fell short of peak
performance. It’s pretty normal for a national team when there’s nothing
really decisive at stake. But all in all, the team’s come on well and played
some good football. When it really mattered, we were highly disciplined, and
our quality was very high – there was some really excellent football at
times. So we’re basically well set. We have a good team with a lot of
experience.
In which particular areas have Germany improved most in recent years?
I believe we’ve made real progress tactically. We started the process with
Jurgen Klinsmann in 2004. We made a few changes and tried a different
direction. We gave a very good account of ourselves at the 2006 World Cup –
we were very, very good at times actually. Then we made the EURO 2008 final,
and now we’ve come through World Cup qualifying undefeated. So I do believe
there’s been improvement, especially from younger players like Lukas
Podolski, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm and Per Mertesacker, all of
whom now have 50 or 60 caps. They’re still at a good age for footballers,
but they’re experienced as well. So, overall, I reckon we’ve developed well
as a team.
Germany were third at the last FIFA World Cup and runners-up at UEFA EURO
2008. Can you win South Africa 2010?
Germany always approach tournaments aiming to go as far as possible and
preferably reach the final. That’s the way it is. Obviously, there are five
or six other nations - Brazil, Italy, France and England to name a few - who
will also feel they have a realistic chance of winning it. We definitely
boast the quality to go a long, long way, as we showed at the EURO. We’ll do
everything in our power to do just that.
You face Serbia, Ghana and Australia in Group D. That’s not going to be
easy, is it?
The group is tough, very tough. Serbia and Ghana have some exceptional
players. Australia are a good team too, and they’ll be totally fired up
against us. We have a lot of very hard work coming up.
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/newsid=1158705.html?cid=newsletter&att=en_2
0100121_interview
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「I am sittin on the clouds, I can play soccer with the moon,
I GOT THE WHOLE WORLD AT MY FEET.」
─Sacha Kljestan
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