Soccer

Joachim Löw disappointed Germany were not more ruthless

Manager thought his side should have wrapped up the game against England sooner

Germany’s coach Joachim Löw (right) celebrates next to England’s manager Roy Hodgson after the friendly at Wembley Stadium. Photograph: Eddie Keogh/Reuters
Germany’s coach Joachim Löw (right) celebrates next to England’s manager Roy Hodgson after the friendly at Wembley Stadium. Photograph: Eddie Keogh/Reuters
Wed Nov 20 2013 - 14:21

If there was one thing which Germany coach Joachim Löw was disappointed about after a 1-0 win over England at Wembley on Tuesday night, it was that he had to wait right up until the final whistle to be assured of victory.

According to Low, his side should have finished England off sooner and not left them with a sniff of a chance right to the very end.

“We should have made it 2-0 and decided the game earlier,” he said. “That’s what bothered me a bit, but we were very, very composed on the ball and switched well between defence and attack with everybody helping out defensively.

“You never got the feeling that England were capable of outplaying us.”

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Löw used the final international friendly of 2013 to try out a few different options, leaving captain Philipp Lahm and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer behind in Munich and handing Roman Weidenfeller his first cap between the posts.

However, more than a test, Weidenfeller spent much of the game as a spectator, watching only one Andros Townsend shot beat him, but hit the post.

“There wasn’t that much for me to do as a goalkeeper today,” Weidenfeller told Germany’s ARD television. “Long may it continue. I’m delighted to have been involved and am letting it all sink in. A 1-0 win in Wembley - it doesn’t get much better than this.”

England manager Roy Hodgson, meanwhile, has insisted he will not be panicked into asking former captain John Terry to reconsider his decision to retire from international duty ahead of the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.

Former England defender Danny Mills, a member of the Football Association commission analysing the national team’s failings and seeking solutions, called for Chelsea skipper Terry to be recalled from retirement during his work as a pundit for BBC Radio Five Live.

Terry featured in all four of England’s Euro 2012 matches under Hodgson and retired from international football following the World Cup qualifying win in Moldova - the last of his 78 caps - prior to being banned by the FA for racially abusing Anton Ferdinand.

Hodgson gave the suggestion of a return short shrift.

“We’ve moved on from that. John retired,” the England boss told BBC Sport after the game. “We’ve qualified with our 10 matches and 10 matches with (Gary) Cahill and (Phil) Jagielka and we’ve seen a very good performance from Chris Smalling tonight.

“I think it’s important that we continue along those lines, continue looking forward and that we don’t start panicking and looking backwards every time we have a reverse.”