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The man everyone is looking at got straight to the point.
“I expect a reaction from the team that we will throw everything into the balance,” said Joachim Löw before the national team's game against Iceland in Duisburg today (8.45pm / RTL).
It is the first game of the selection this year, the first after the desperate 6-0 win against Spain and the start of the international trip with three games in the World Cup qualifiers.
Germany will play in Romania on Sunday evening, and next Wednesday they will face North Macedonia again in Duisburg.
For Löw it is the beginning of his last leg at the German Football Association (DFB).
The three encounters will be followed by test matches and the European Championship in the summer - after which the 61-year-old will quit as national coach.
He announced that two weeks ago.
Since then, many people in the football industry have asked themselves: is Löw different now?
Was that a release for him?
What does all this do with the team?
Löw seems focused
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In his first few days with the team since this farewell announcement, Löw seems focused.
And uses a rhetoric that has hardly been known about him so far.
He wanted to see the “combative”, the “passionate”, a team that “fiercely” fought for a victory.
He could no longer show any consideration.
"Now it's time to score points, win, sharpen the automatisms, lay a foundation," said Löw.
The national coach, a Lame Duck in his last three months?
Löw convincingly conveys that he won't be.
He was not relieved after his decision, "why should I be relieved?" He enjoys the job.
But he appears fresher, more energetic than before.
For him and the team, the coming days will be about victories.
And more.
"We don't just want to start the World Cup qualifying with good results, we want to show ourselves positively to the fans after we got out of the year very badly in November," emphasized the coach.
"For me: full concentration on the EM." The three games are also a preparation for the tournament planned for June and July.
Against Iceland, Löw has to do without defenders Niklas Süle from FC Bayern and Robin Gosens from Atalanta Bergamo (both muscular problems), Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos (adductor problems) is absent in all three games.
Emotional address to the team
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Right at the beginning of this international trip, Löw gave a surprising speech in front of the team in the team hotel in Düsseldorf.
According to “BILD”, he said: “I still have fire!” And: “We have to set ourselves high goals.” Löw explained to the players the premature termination of his DFB contract, which was valid until 2022, and emphasized: “Now you can prove everyone again! ”Löw demands better communication from them on the field.
And on Wednesday lunchtime he chose clear words: “It's not enough if I just say something.
Recognizing what kind of instructions I give as a player has to do with leadership. ”Simply shouting“ on it ”,“ continue ”or“ now ”,“ that's not enough, anyone can do that. ”
Löw am Ball: The national coach was passionate about the training in Düsseldorf
Source: dpa / Federico Gambarini
Half of Germans do not believe that Löw will lead the team to their first European Championship triumph in 25 years.
This was the result of a survey by the polling institute YouGov.
The players, on the other hand, believe in Löw.
“You could tell in his speech that he is very motivated and ambitious.
He really wants, ”said captain Manuel Neuer.
He warned: "We must not make any more mistakes."
The players around Ilkay Gündogan from Manchester City, who traveled from England, will be separated again due to the pandemic during the time at the DFB for eating and during transport to the stadium.
In view of the corona crisis, the team is happy to be able to play their games at all, albeit without fans.
Perhaps you could "bring a bit of fun into the living room" during this time, said Neuer.
And "make one or the other cheer".
Löw talks about his future
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Löw also commented on his future on Wednesday.
He is traded as a coach at clubs, including Fenerbahce Istanbul and Real Madrid.
He doesn't want to end his coaching career yet.
With a decision on how exactly he will continue after the European Championship, he will not deal with the end of the tournament.
“I don't know what's going on with my advisor.
I told him I didn't want to be confronted with anything until the European Championships, ”he emphasized.
This also applies to the time during the competition.
Löw should take a break first.
It is “unthinkable” after 15 years as national coach “to flip the switch the next day”.
Even if the EM were postponed again, he would stop this summer.
Many see Hans-Dieter "Hansi" Flick from FC Bayern as the ideal successor.
The DFB emphasizes, however, not to negotiate with coaches who will be under contract elsewhere beyond the summer.
Matthias Sammer thinks this approach is wrong.
The former sports director of the association said "Sport Bild": "In my opinion, this position must be filled with people who are currently living this changed football and who are best suited, regardless of the contractual constellation." The job of national coach is the most coveted position in a country "Football has to make a joint decision for this." It is about the top solution.
Loew said he was staying out of the search for a successor.
In interviews, he raves about Flick's work.
Now he wants to concentrate exclusively on Iceland for the time being.
A victory is a must: Germany has never lost to this opponent.