Joachim Low has confirmed there will be no "radical changes" to the Germany squad following their Euro 2008 final defeat to Spain.Although several members of the squad are now the wrong side of 30, Low is confident he will not need to make too many alterations to his playing corps ahead of the start of World Cup qualifiers.
Two key thirtysomethings, Michael Ballack and Torsten Frings, impressed in Austria and Switzerland and Low has no intention of moving them aside.
He told German newspaper Bild: "Michael Ballack and Torsten Frings still have the hunger for success.
"It should be expected that they will go on to 2010.
"Others like Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm and Lukas Podolski have not yet reached their peak.
"We will integrate new players but there will be no radical change.
"The squad did well in qualifying and at the European Championships. We were the only large footballing nation to have reached the semi-finals of the World Cup and the Euros in the last two years."
There have been suggestions that 38-year-old goalkeeper Jens Lehmann would retire from international duty following Euro 2008 but Low is adamant he will not rush the Stuttgart man on a decision.
"Jens Lehmann has not yet suggested to me that he will retire," he added.
"We will have more personal talks about it."
Werder Bremen midfielder Frings has already started looking ahead to the World Cup qualifiers as Germany target a place in the finals in South Africa.
"We want to develop ourselves further and to reach the 2010 World Cup in South Africa with ambitious goals.
"The World Cup is my next large goal with the team."
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Comment 1 - 5 of 5
The only game that germany played well was against portugal when Low was not on the field. That tells a lot!!!!
Please change the guy
raeheid, You are dead on... I could not believe my eyes and the game I watched on Sunday... it was horrible! I didn't even watch the last 10 minutes as I was disgusted by what I saw. Usually you can count on Germany to come up big at the end but there was nothing there on Sunday. You're right on about "This is not the Germany the world feared". They are happy with second place and losing. That is not a winning team... that is not GERMAN mentality and it's a shame that losing is OK with Low and company and they plan a party in Berlin, win or lose! I'm a die hard German fan and live and die with them but they did not deserve to win the final. They were a disgrace to German football!
you are absolutely right raeheid
German Fussball will return soon!
Joachim Loew will destroy our team completely. This was not the Germany the world feared. And our players have become manipulators just like Joachim Loes who is very talented at manipulating the public and making all believe he is good, when in fact, our team was beyond the limits of being poor.
Joachim Loew is an incompetent coach. He talks about attacking football, but he has absolutely no idea of how to create this attacking football. Furthermore the players show no fear or respect for him on the field, as the way the players played showed absolutely no discipline.
It would be best for the German football for Joachim Loew to resign, and bring back a senior coach who actually knows about coaching. We are being fooled by this young blood coaching team. We are accepting to live with second best. OTMAR HITFIELD WOULD BE PERFECT! but he took over switzerland. There must be someone else other than JOachim Loews who know how to push our lazy players beyond limits, and demand a football game from them and not random drunken walks around the field.
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