As France looms, Germany manager Joachim Löw was happy to build some momentum

Germany manager Joachim Löw knows that his squad’s group at the European Championships is a nightmare. Building any momentum heading into the Euro 2021 opener against France was going to be huge and with a 7-1 victory over Latvia, Die Mannschaft did just that.

“There were many things that we did well, we had a lot of chances. We discussed several things that we still needed to improve on. During the first half, we had a lot of pace in attack, made good runs and pressed hard. Our tempo dropped in the second half, but that was due to the intensity in the training camp. If we increase the pace a little more, we’ll be ready for next week,” said Löw (as captured by Tz).

The 2014 World Cup winner was also happy to see his squad show the ability to be balanced.

“We were more consistent today in taking advantage of the opportunities. In the last few months we have always made life difficult for ourselves,” Löw said. “Today we were very stable, both offensively and defensively.”

With regard to the squad’s offense, Germany wanted to implement a more vertical attack and the players executed the game plan. Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich played a key role in helping make that happen.

“We mentioned that we want to get behind the backline even when the opponent is sitting low. That works with vertical passes,” said Löw.

As for the big question everyone is asking, Löw would not reveal what starting XI he was leaning toward to play against France.

“It was important that we settle in overall. I don’t know yet whether this is the team that will start against France,” Löw said. “But the majority will look like this.”