Munich – Joachim Low would actually have the busiest weeks of the year ahead of him.
The national coach with his closest staff would currently evaluate the impressions of the two international matches against Spain and Italy, which should serve him as the last sighting before the announcement of the provisional squad for the European Football Championship in mid-May. However, as is known, the coronavirus pandemic also thwarted Low’s summer plans.
«We would have used the test games before the tournament sensibly. We had developed strategies, we had good solutions ready for this European Championship, »said Low when UEFA moved the European Championship finals to the summer of 2021 in March. This week, the March international matches postponed to June were postponed “until further notice”.
For Low this means: The current season has ended prematurely for the national team – after only six games. “It is clear that there will be no international matches in the 2019/20 season,” said DFB General Secretary Friedrich Curtius of the German Press Agency.
Low is in a kind of permanent queue. The last time he was able to pursue his coaching job on the sidelines on November 19, 2019, was 6-1 against Northern Ireland. The next international match is now scheduled almost ten months later, on September 3 in the Nations League against Spain. The 60-year-old Low must now take stock of the season with the fewest international matches in his 14-year term as head coach of the DFB selection.
The most important facts: There were four wins, one draw and one loss (in 2: 4 against the Netherlands). Low deployed a total of 25 players, including the debutants Robin Koch, Luca Waldschmidt, Nadiem Amiri, Suat Serdar, and Niklas Stark. Joshua Kimmich was the only one on the pitch for the full 540 international minutes. His Bayern colleague Serge Gnabry was the top scorer with six goals.
Low wanted to nominate Robin Gosens from Atalanta Bergamo for the first year against Spain and Italy. The 25-year-old full-back, who had caused a sensation with the Italian first division club in the Champions League until the Corona stop, could still have jumped on the EM train. “We would have loved to meet him personally,” said Low to the “kicker”. And promised: “We’ll keep an eye on him as soon as the ball rolls again.”
Low hopes that this will happen as soon as possible. “We would be happy if football started daily business as soon as possible and we could please people.” The national coach himself will have to wait until autumn. “I can’t say how the coming season will develop,” said Low: “We have to face this situation and make the best of it.”
The international game pace in the second half of the year may be higher than in normal seasons. According to TEH information, UEFA is considering planning two dates for the currently postponed friendly matches or EM playoff games in addition to the Nations League games. That would be eight instead of six international games by the end of 2020. In two of the three withdrawal periods in September, October and November, it could then be played three times.
