Loew pleased despite Dutch draw

Germany coach Joachim Loew was pleased with the way his side performed against the Netherlands in their 0-0 friendly draw on Wednesday.

The away team dominated the first half at the Amsterdam Arena, and despite taking their foot off the gas after the break, could have won the game had Marco Reus found the target with a chance deep into stoppage time.

Despite the lack of goals, Loew was satisfied with a solid performance after surrendering a four-goal lead in World Cup qualifying against Sweden in their most recent outing in October.

“For me, this was a positive game. We put in some good work defensively, which was the most important thing after our recent experiences against Sweden,” Loew told ARD.

“We had a changed team, with many regular missing. We played well positionally, and we were disciplined.”

Opposing manager Louis van Gaal, who had declared the Netherlands underdogs ahead of the game, agreed that Germany played very pleasing football.

“I enjoyed the way Germany played in possession. They were quite impressive. We allowed them too much space and they took advantage of that. They didn’t create many chances, though,” van Gaal said.

“We improved after the break. We didn’t want to press them all over the pitch, but provocatively press them. That helped us create space for our attackers.”

The Netherlands next take on Italy in a friendly on February 6, while Germany face France the same day.