Beating Poland, World Champion back in business

The post World Cup depression within Germany's national team seems to be over: The 2014 World Champion is back in business.

A big smile appeared on the face of German head coach Joachim Loew in the Frankfurt arena after his team beat Poland in a European Championship qualifier 3-1.

Goals by Thomas Mueller and a Mario Goetze brace have recaptured the top of the table position in Group D with 16 points ahead of second-placed Poland (14) and Scotland (11) in third. In the end the Germans walked off the pitch to a standing ovation after winning over their fans again.

In the first game of the "new" season, one year after the 2014 World Cup final, and after many months of playing poorly, the German team convinced his fans with a whole-hearted performance. After dominating the game, the Germans can now bolster their position at the top of the table by beating Scotland in Glasgow next Monday.

Second-placed Poland still are in with a good chance of securing a ticket for EURO 2016 in France. Robert Lewandowski (8 goals in 7 games) is not only the leading scorer in the qualifying campaign but is also a life insurance policy for the dangerous Polish team.

Germany is back on song. In addition, Loew and his squad seem to have solved one of their biggest problems as Emre Can (Liverpool) and Jonas Hector (1. FC Cologne) gave reason for optimism at right and left back respectively.

In the 20th (13 wins and 1 defeat) duel against near neighbors Poland, Germany relied on a 4-2-1-3 system with Bastian Schweinsteiger (Manchester United) and Toni Kroos (Real Madrid) in central midfield.

Mesut Oezil (Arsenal) was entrusted with the playmaker role behind "strikers" Thomas Mueller Mario Gotze (both Bayern Munich) and Karim Bellarabi (Bayer Leverkusen). Bellarabi was in the German starting line-up after Borussia Dortmund striker Marco Reus was unable to play due to a broken toe.

"Finding a solution to overcome defensively-minded teams will be one of our biggest tasks in the future," said Loew. "The goal today was to win three points. The first 35 minutes we did real good, I am satisfied, we very concentrated and gained a lot of space over the flanks," Loew said.

"We need to be more effective and make less mistakes. So there is some work ahead of us, but we are on the right track," striker Thomas Mueller said and Toni Kroos had "a good feeling" after the game, "we showed a good performance."

Frankfurt-born Emre Can was the 76th newcomer in Joachim Loew's tenure as Germany's head coach. At the age of 15 he joined Bayern Munich but moved to Bayer Leverkusen when 19. For the past year, he has been on the books at the Premier League club Liverpool where he has in the main played as a central defender rather than right back.

"Emre has come on well at Liverpool, he is versatile and we like his presence and dynamism. He has made a good impression and has fitted in well," said Loew.

Being included in the German starting eleven means Can, who is also eligible to play for Turkey, can, in accordance with FIFA rules, no longer play for the country of his parents. A German U-21 international, Can is rated as one of the nation's biggest talents.

The positions of right and left back are regarded as the most problematic in the German game. Other than at the 2014 World Cup, when the Loew team played with a back line of central defenders, the German coach is desperately looking for more dynamism when going forward and wants players like Can and Hector to be more involved.

Loew must be happy about the wing backs as they both put in solid performances, not to say they may be the answer to a long-standing problem even though they had difficulties defending when Poland, especially Lewandowski poured forward on the counter attack.

Behind Loew's plans is to prepare his team to play with a four man back line and - new - one with three defenders which would mean an additional player in midfield who can pull back if necessary.

Hector was one of the decisive players before Thomas Mueller scored his 6th goal in the seventh group game. In addition, Bayern Munich central defender Jerome Boateng fulfilled Loew's demands that he become involved offensively by playing precise "long passes" to give the attack more options.

Despite the promising start of the new season, one German "problem" is still to be solved. Loew's team still plays without a central striker. Until now the position was occupied by either Thomas Mueller or Mario Goetze despite being better-suited to attack down the flanks or in midfield.

After Miroslav Klose's (Lazio Rome) retirement, the position has been left vacant, and Loew has one possibility less in his game tactics.

Especially Goetze hasn't been convincing in the center forward role despite him scoring the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final against Argentina (1-0). His strike to put Germany 2-0 up against Poland came after he dribbled his way into the box on the left. The second of his brace was scored from close range after the goalkeeper could only block a Thomas Mueller shot.

After all the German forwards, with a creative midfield behind (Ilkay Guendogan/Borussia Dortmund), Oezil, Kroos and Schweinsteiger), is a serious weapon. And when the Germans can solve the back line problem, they will be on the way back to being one of the world's best teams and favorites for EURO 2016 and the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Endi