News Analysis: Loew to implement year of change for world champions

Twelve months ahead of the 2016 European Championship in France, 55-year-old German coach Joachim Loew is determined to implement a year of change for his 2014 world champion team.

In advance of Germany's EURO qualifier against underdogs Gibraltar in Faro/Portugal this Saturday, Loew has talked about his plans to adjust his team's game.

"We have become a keep-ball team. But we have lost the ability to quickly change from defense to offence after winning the ball, to counter attack, to carry our game deep into the opponent's half, to create chances and score goals," said Loew.

"The well balanced mixture of keep- ball, quick inter-passing and counter attacks are the important topic for us in the next months," emphasized Loew. It seems as if the 2014 world champion has mutated from a trendsetter to somebody needing a spot of renovation.

"We need more speed in our game and more long sprints in the offence. The cards will be reshuffled after the summer break," said Loew.

The decisive question is a well-known one in football. So called top-dogs within international club football like Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United have been trying to find answers for it for many years: "How does one break a defense of concrete?"

Loew won't have to start from scratch with his strategic plans as his team at the 2010 and 2014 World Cup was often close to perfection as far as the quick and dynamic forward game.

As Loew is determined to win the 2016 European tournament he will,latest in autumn, increase the pressure on experienced players like Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Ilkay Guendogan (Borussia Dortmund) and Sami Khedira (Juventus Turin).

But not only midfield is Loew's problem zone. The German game needs more speed along the flanks as well. A job "newcomers" like Patrick Herrmann (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Karim Bellarabi (Bayer Leverkusen) plus Andre Schuerrle (VfL Wolfsburg) will have to do.

On top: Loew plans to increase his team's flexibility by introducing new players like Emre Can (Liverpool), Kevin Volland (TSG Hoffenheim) and Johannes Geis, who most likely will leave his current club FSV Mainz 05 as Schalke 04 and Lazio Rome (the club of former German striker Miroslav Klose) are interested.

As far as the right and left backs are concerned players like Sebastian Rudy (TSG Hoffenheim) and Jonas Hector (1. FC Koln) are on Loew's list. The time of a solid back row of four with four specialist central defenders (played at the 2014 World Cup) seem to be over.

Loew's signal is clear: Established players can't count on the success of the past, they will have to fight for their place in the team as well. "Jogi" Loew knows a World Cup title like the one in 2014 is a thing of the past. To be ready for future titles his team has to develop which seems to be Loew's new focus.

But for now Loew has to be patient. Many of the key figures of his development squad have to play the "U-21" European Championship in the Czech Republic this July.

Loew's plans make sense and are based on experiences from 2009 when the German U-21s won the European title in Sweden. In the team were players like Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng (both Bayern Munich), Khedira, Mesut Oezil (Arsenal), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund) and Benedikt Hoewedes (Schalke 04) who five years later all played a vital role in the German 2014 World Cup team.

Loew's players seem to have understood the need for alterations as midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger says: "We will have a year of change until the tournament in France."

As for the goal keepers, changes can be expected as well. The 23-year-old 2015 Champions League winner Marc-Andre ter Stegen (FC Barcelona) maybe not challenge Neuer as Germany's number one but has good chances in the race for Germany's number two.

Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover 96), Bernd Leno (Bayer Leverkusen) could soon be only in the race for the No. 3 spot and Roman Weidenfeller, who has lost his place in the goal of Borussia Dortmund, could be left out altogether in the future.

Like Weidenfeller, striker Lukas Podolski seems to be in a critical situation as his performance has been disappointing for months now. On top of everything his situation regarding his club is uncertain as he will leave Inter Milan (on loan) and might return to Arsenal. But in England he was mostly on the bench or in the stands and it won't improve his chance in the future.

"I have to carefully choose my new club, it will be my last contract and I want to fight to be part of the German team in the future too," said Podolski.

Loew is convinced that his team needs to be in the best shape soon. Other than against Gibraltar (a clear win is expected) this Saturday, Germany face tough games against Poland, Scotland and Ireland in the Euro qualification for France in September and October 2015.

The Germans have some work to do as Loew's team is currently only in third place in their group. Endi