Loew admits Germany need to adapt for World Cup challenge

Joachim Loew has conceded that Germany will need to adapt their style of play if they are to be victorious at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

The 53-year-old coach is keen to take his side into the final in Brazil in search of Germany’s first global title since 1990, but he knows that a lot of work will need to be done to ensure they are acclimatised to the conditions in South America.

Germany, who have come third at the last two competitions, sit top of their qualifying group with 16 points from their opening six matches, five points clear of Sweden, Austria and Ireland, who are all tied for second place with four games remaining.

Loew has been watching the FIFA Confederations Cup closely to get as much information as he can ahead of the finals and he has admitted that there will need to be a lot of preparation.

He has been helped by the Bundesliga, with their fixtures due to finish a month before the start of the tournament, allowing him time to get his squad up to speed both physically and mentally.

“We must adjust, and tactically too,” he told SID. “The Central and South Americans have an advantage but I’m not too worried as we have some time before the tournament to adapt to the location. Good physical conditioning is essential for success.

“We certainly will not be able to change our style of play so we must try to get the players on site as quickly as possible.”

Something that has been highlighted for Loew is the distances between each venue and he believes that handling the travelling between matches will be a major challenge for his side.

He is, nonetheless, looking forward to the experience.

“Organisationally it is also very difficult,” he added. “(But) the joy of the Brazilians in football is a wonderful thing no matter where you go.

“The stadiums are full – it is incredible feeling for me and the anticipation ahead of the World Cup has risen to a higher level.”