Loew: A big gun in mind

Slovakia in sight but with the big challenge against Italy or Spain in mind: Things are getting tough for the 2014 World Champion Germany at Euro 2016 in France. While head coach Joachim Loew' s team is preparing for its first knock-out duel at the year' s most important international competition this Sunday evening against underdogs Slovakia, a clash with one of the big guns is casting its shadows. It is keeping Loew busy and might lead to an important change in the German starting eleven.

Loew and his assistant coaches are making lots of noises about including a man that has shrunk from a World Cup hero and team leader to a substitute. 31-year old Bastian Schweinsteiger could make his first appearance in Germany' s starting eleven against Slovakia. After five minutes against Ukraine, 24 against Northern Ireland in the group matches, Schweinsteiger seems to be a very real option for a place in the starting eleven.

If Germany are fully concentrated then Slovakia shouldn't be a threat. Anything but a victory would be a gigantic disappointment. The 3-1 defeat in a pre-tournament friendly is not playing a role in Germany' s plans for Sunday as the game was played with a B or C team on a waterlogged pitch.

This time the experienced Schweinsteiger could help to get things straight. After a long injury break and a disappointing season with his club Manchester United, he is gradually closing the gap to his team-mates. And against Slovakia he could replace Sami Khedira in midfield. The Juventus midfielder seems to be ready for a break to help him to recover as he appears to be a little exhausted. On top Khedira faces a ban in his next game should he pick up another yellow card - like Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich) and Mesut Oezil (Arsenal).

Not to have Khedira around when facing Italy or Spain seems to be too risky for Loew. The 56-year old might think back on the successful Khedira and Schweinsteiger combination at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Meanwhile Boateng is still working on his slightly injured calf muscle, his possible replacement could be Benedikt Hoewedes (FC Schalke 04) if the Bayern Munich player can' t report for duty this Sunday. Boateng finished Germany last training session without visible problems and it looks like he could be part of Germanys starting line-up.

Loew now hopes Schweinsteiger is ready to help. For weeks now the midfielder and team captain has been working on his comeback. "He is getting in better shape day by day," Loew said. The German coach has not forgotten the great value Schweinsteiger had for the team at the World Cup. Khedira might be a hard worker in midfield but regarded as one of the best Germans in the three games to date in France. In Brazil, Schweinsteiger developed to the team' s unrestricted leader impressing with his high physical presence on the pitch. Unforgotten are the pictures that went around the globe showing Schweinsteiger with blood from a cut above his eye running down his cheeks.

The question now is, for how long can Loew rely on Schweinsteiger? Will the midfielder be fit for more than 45 minutes and is the match already in the bag at the time? Loew might have a clear tournament plan in mind for Schweinsteiger, but will carefully consider whether he should select his team-captain. Going into the knock-out phase and some hard work lies ahead of Loew. His answer might be a sort of work-sharing strategy, meaning 45 minutes for both Schweinsteiger and Khedira. Loew has proved to be a coach considering smallest details to secure succesess for his side.

Schweinsteiger' s possible return is not the only thing keeping Loew busy. He has also to decide what to do at right back. After his first appearance in the position, Joshua Kimmich seems to be the first option. But if Boateng is reported fit, Loew could choose Benedikt Hoewedes as he is regarded as being the safer strategy against a defensively-minded counter-attacking team like Slovakia.

Loew is also hoping Thomas Mueller gets over lack of fire power at the European Championship where he is still to score a goal after 574 minutes of trying. In Germany' s last training session, one of the top topics was converting chances - using smaller goals to encourage precise shots on target.

Meanwhile Loew seems to be optimistic as he is looking forward to the second phase of the tournament. "I' m very much looking forward to the knock-out games as our opponents will have to actively try to win the game. For us it might mean we get more space," Loew said. "It' s a fact that we have to be fully concentrated from the start," Loew said knowing Slovakia will be followed by one of Euro' s big guns. Enditem