Joachim Löw has recalled World Cup winners Mats Hummels and Thomas Müller for the upcoming Euros. The outgoing Germany coach has also given a rising Bayern Munich star a chance and sprung a surprise or two.
Joachim Löw has opted for experience in Thomas Müller and Mats HummelsImage: Frank Hoermann/Sven Simon/picture alliance
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After more than two years in the international wilderness, Mats Hummels and Thomas Müller have been recalled to the Germany squad for next month's Euros.
Germany coach Joachim Löw named the experienced pair in his 26-man squad on Wednesday. Löw's decision to recall two of the three players he axed after Germany's dreadful World Cup 2018 (Jerome Boateng misses out) comes after his much-heralded rebuild struggled to take off. Germany endured a tough Nations League campaign and suffered a shock loss to North Macedonia in World Cup 2022 qualifying at the end of March.
Löw said the return of Hummels was built on "absolute conviction" that he'd make a difference. "He's played in several tournaments and knows what to expect in the difficult moments," Löw said.
U-turn
His change of heart appears to have been a result of the players' improved form, the impacts of the pandemic on planning and rebuilding, and Löw's own decision to end his reign after the upcoming tournament. Clearly the Germany coach sees the recall of Müller and Hummels as his best chance of going out with a second major tournament win, after the World Cup 2014 victory he enjoyed with Hummels and Müller to the fore.
With the return of Müller and Hummels an open secret, perhaps the biggest surprise was the inclusion of leftback Christain Günter. The Freiburg player's only previous international appearance was an eight minute cameo in a 2014 friendly. Monaco striker Kevin Volland also gets the nod despite not having played for Germany since 2016.
"We have been following his performances in France this season, he brings great penetration. His physique and his goal threat will be a great addition for us," Löw said of Volland.
Tough group
While the squad also features a number of players from the Bayern Munich side who remain European champions, for another week at least, Germany will have their work cut out. Löw's side were drawn in Group F with European champions Portugal, world champions France and an emerging Hungary side.
Joachim Löw, the world's longest-serving national team coach
Joachim Löw is the longest-tenured coach in international football, having been in charge of Germany since August 2006. In July, after the European Championships, he will step down after almost 15 years.
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Longest-tenured national team coach
In March 2020, Uruguay's football association laid off its longtime first team coach Oscar Tabarez, 73, as it struggles financially amid the coronavirus crisis. His removal made Germany coach Joachim Löw, whose tenure began three months after Tabarez's in 2006, the longest-serving coach in international football.
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Unspectacular playing career
Joachim Löw's career as a player was anything but spectacular. In his 52 Bundesliga matches as a striker for Stuttgart, Eintracht Frankfurt and Karlsruhe, the native of southwestern Germany found the back of the net just seven times. Much of his time as a player was spent at then-second division side Freiburg.
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A switch to coaching
Even before he hung up his boots, Joachim Löw turned his hand to coaching, first as a youth coach at Swiss outfit FC Winterthur, where he was still playing in 1994. In 1995 he broke into the Bundesliga as co-coach at his former club Stuttgart, before being named head coach a year later. Here he is seen speaking to Thomas Schneider, who would later become his assistant with the national team.
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Turkish tenure
Despite winning the German Cup with Stuttgart in 1997, Löw was let go by the Swabians. In the summer of 1998 he took a job with Istanbul side Fenerbahce and led them to a third-place finish. Still, he would only last a year at the club.
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First-place firing
After spells at Karlsruhe, Adanaspor and Innsbruck, Löw moved on to Austria Vienna, in the summer of 2003. This too would turn out to be a short interlude, as he was sacked in March, despite the club occupying first place in the table. Without him, Austria would finish second in the league by a single point.
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The Jogi and Jürgen show
After Rudi Völler resigned as coach of the German national team, another former Germany striker, Jürgen Klinsmann, took over. One of Klinsmann's first moves as Germany coach was to appoint Löw as his assistant.
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Summer fairy tale
Klinsmann and Löw led Germany into the 2006 World Cup on home soil, where they lost to Italy in the semifinals. The "home" World Cup created a vibrant atmosphere all over Germany, where public viewing of games first took place on a large scale. Here Klinsmann and Löw are flanked by goalkeeping coach Andreas Köpke and manager Oliver Bierhoff at a post-tournament event in Berlin.
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Euro final defeat
After succeeding Klinsmann as head coach, Löw's first major tournament in charge was Euro 2008. He led Germany to the final in Vienna, but they were defeated 1-0 by Spain.
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Spain again...
At his first World Cup as head coach, Joachim Löw's young squad cruised by England (4-1) in the round of 16 and crushed Argentina (4-0) in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, though, Germany ran into the more experienced Spanish side, who prevailed 1-0. Here Löw is seen congratulating a young Mesut Özil during the England match.
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No laughing matter
Joachim Löw's men got off to a perfect start to Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine, winning all three of their group-stage matches, before beating Greece 4-2 in their quarterfinal: It was Germany's 15th consecutive win, setting a new world record. However, there would be no happy ending, as Germany fell 2-1 to bogey side, Italy.
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World Cup champions
It all came together for Löw in 2014. Germany beat Portugal and the US, while drawing with Ghana to progress from the group stage. They needed extra time to beat Algeria in the round of 16 and struggled past France 1-0. But they crushed hosts Brazil 7-1. The final, against Argentina, also went to extra time, before Mario Götze scored the winner to give Germany a 1-0 win — and the World Cup.
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Down to earth in France
Löw's next major tournament was Euro 2016, just next door in France. Germany advanced to the knockout stage with two wins and a draw before beating Slovakia and Italy to set up a semifinal showdown against the hosts in Marseille. Germany came up short though, falling 2-0 to France.
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A minor title
Germany won their first Confederations Cup under Joachim Löw in 2017. It was far from Germany's best side that turned out in Russia, with Löw choosing to rest several first-string players in ancipation of the World Cup 12 months later. Germany beat Chile 1-0 in the final thanks to a goal from Lars Stindl in the 20th minute. Germany's future looked very bright indeed.
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What a difference a year makes
With a full-strength squad, Germany were regarded as one of the favorites heading into the 2018 World Cup in Russia. But they looked a shadow of their former selves, losing to Mexico and South Korea and finishing bottom of their group. Despite the poor showing, Löw said he intended to fulfill his contract, which the German football association (DFB) extended until 2022 before the tournament.
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Three World Cup winners cut
After the disaster in Russia, Löw acknowledged errors. He wrongly believed that he could get into the knockout rounds playing possession-based football. "It was almost arrogant," Löw said in his analysis afterwards. He announced a generation change in the team and said he would be dropping Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels und Thomas Müller from the squad.
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A dark day
Germany comfortably qualified for Euro 2020, a tournament that was postponed a year due to COVID-19. Löw appeared to slowly be moving this new Germany team in the right direction, until they suffered a 6-0 loss to Spain in the Nations League. It was the second highest defeat in Germany's football history. "It was a dark day," said Löw afterwards as pressure began to mount.
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The end of the road
On March 9, Löw announced that he would be stepping down as head coach following the 2021 European Championships. He spoke of his "pride and gratitude" at having represented Germany for almost 17 years and insisted his motivation ahead of the Euros remains "unbroken." DFB president Fritz Keller expressed his "great respect" for Löw's decision, which gives the DFB time to identify a successor.
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"We're certainly not one of the favorites at this tournament, not like France or some of the other top teams," said Löw. "For us, every single game is going to be a knock-out tie, especially the opener against France. So it will be important just to get out of the group and try and establish a rhythm. It's not conducive to performance to think too far ahead."
The tournament kicks off on June 11 with Italy vs. Turkey in Rome while Germany make their bow against France in Munich on June 15.