Joachim Löw unhappy with defensive lapse that led to Denmark goal

Germany’s backline saw the return of Bayern Munich’s Niklas Süle and Mats Hummels against Denmark, but the return to action by the two stars was not enough to propel Die Mannschaft to a victory.

The Germany defense was terrific for the majority of its 1-1 draw with Denmark, but that did not stop Joachim Löw from lamenting what went wrong on the ill-fated play that led to Denmark’s goal.

“We had already lost a few balls before that, then our opponents had space and opportunities,” Löw said (as captured by Tz). “Süle could have closed the pass way faster by closing the center.”

Löw also indicated that the defensive lapse put Hummels in a terrible position, which left him unable to do anything to prevent the play.

While Yussuf Poulsen’s goal — off of a terrific feed from Christian Eriksen — upset Löw, he did acknowledge his backline was good overall.

“We defended well for a long time, that was better. We lost order in the middle of the second half,” Löw said. “We created good chances, twice hit the aluminum, but it made life difficult for us without the second goal. We haven’t played in this line-up yet, it was clear that it wasn’t going perfectly.”

Overall, Löw said he still wants to more from this unit.

“The consistency over 90 minutes, that’s an issue,” said Löw. “But it wasn’t a setback. It is clear that it was a bit bumpy in preparation. On Friday we will be complete, then we can prepare properly and turn the right screws for the France game.”