Loew wary of ´quality´ opposition

Germany coach Joachim Loew says failure is not an option for his side at Euro 2012 as they search for their first European title since 1996.

The 52-year-old also warned his team not to underestimate rivals the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain at the tournament, which begins on June 8.

Loew believes his team have improved, but said the top sides would be hard to separate in Poland and Ukraine.

“I had a lot of time to think of all the possible scenarios back in January, February. However, at this point, I have only one thing on my mind and that’s Portugal,” Loew told Kicker.

“I am not even thinking about the possibility of failure. The team has made a lot of progress. That does not guarantee that we will win the title, though. Details will be decisive this summer.

“We don’t underestimate anyone. The other teams have a lot of quality, too.

“People should not think that Netherlands are inferior with players such as Robin van Persie, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben.

“Portugal have Real Madrid stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe, while Spain have world class stars like Xavi and Andres Iniesta. It would be silly to think they have less quality than Germany.”

Germany have been drawn in Group B at Euro 2012, alongside the Netherlands, Portugal and Denmark.