Loew already with eye on Euro 2020 against Northern Ireland

Germany coach Joachim Loew will use their final Euro 2020 qualifier against Northern Ireland on Tuesday to try out various game plans with an eye on next year’s tournament as the team have already qualified.

The Germans, who beat Belarus 4-0 on Saturday to book their ticket for Euro 2020, will secure top spot in the group with a win.

Loew, however, looks more interested in giving some players more time on the pitch with an eye on the next six months of preparation for the tournament.

“It will certainly be the case where I will make one or two changes,” Loew told reporters on Monday when asked whether the group win or the chance to test some young players was important on Tuesday.

“To give some players the chance to play. I still want to see some players, give them the trust and the space they may need. Next year we have two matches in March. We can use it (the game) to try things out.”

“We want to be top, ahead of the Dutch but we can also win a lot of things from this game,” Loew added.

The Germans suffered a shock group-stage exit at last year’s World Cup and were relegated in the inaugural Nations League, promoting a major overhaul of the team.

They have bounced back to qualify for Euro 2020 with just one loss and six wins from seven qualifiers so far.

Loew, however, has had to deal with a long list of absences in the past months and said his team had already made the year a success.

“A big compliment to the team because qualifying for a tournament is always above everything else and this young team with young players at the start of their process did it well.

“We have the chance to qualify as group winner. I am satisfied in a difficult year. We started overhauling the team and then more than 10 players are injured. So we had changes to the changes and did it very well.”

Reuters