Could Jogi Löw start Mario Gomez against Sweden?

Germany lost their opening World Cup match to Mexico. This, we know, was a surprise to some. In addition, Sweden won their opening match, which places them and Mexico at the top of Group F. As German fans become strained and stressed, German manager, Joachim Löw, isn’t sweating — not on account of his team’s group standing at least.

German newspaper Bild ran into Die Mannschaft’s head honcho leading into tomorrow’s match against Sweden. Löw continued his routine exercise, jogging through Germany’s Russia headquarters before returning to the pitch for their training session.

When asked whether Germany had devised winning strategy, Löw smiled and nodded as if to say, “I have a plan.”

Weather that includes a change(s) in the starting 11 or a switch-up in style of play, Löw’s “plan” remains undisclosed; however, reports from the German camp hint at replacements and a new attacking mentality that will emerge tomorrow against the Swedes.

Central midfielder Sami Khedira promised an aggressive performance. Following the team’s training session saying, he conceded, “We played like schoolboys, let ourselves be countered. We have to be eleven warriors on the pitch!”

Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images

Bild may have caught some glimpses of Löw’s plan. They observed that midfielders Toni Kroos and Ilkay Gündogan were well entrenched in Thursday’s training session as a double pivot, and Mario Gomez was involved in repeated attacking drills, receiving crosses from the flanks.

Gomez, in fact, represented the players at Germany’s latest press conference (Kicker). The press immediately began to wonder whether that might indicate that Gomez will be in the starting lineup tomorrow. Gomez himself played to their suspicions without tipping his hand,

The fact that I’m sitting here might be a signal; but it could also be a bluff. Let’s let our selves be surprised.

Take what you want from it, but what stands firm is Germany’s -1 goal differential and a goose egg in the points category. Gomez, for his part, radiated confidence at the press podium:

The atmosphere in the team is somewhat better since Thursday. We all needed to digest the game [against Mexico]. We we are still a strong team with extraordinary abilities. We have the quality to beat Sweden and South Korea. And we are also a good group, even if some refuse to believe it.

Die Mannschaft will kick off against Sweden at the Fisht Stadium in Sochi at 2 p.m. EST on Fox.