Loew impressed with Australia’s progress
Sochi: Germany’s World Cup-winning coach Joachim Loew has dished up rare praise for the Socceroos and coach Ange Postecoglou. The long-term Germany mentor earned his first win over Postecoglou’s Australia on Monday night in Sochi at the Confederations Cup. Germany were 3-2 winners over Australia and might have deserved to win by more given their first-half dominance.
After dismissing Australia 4-0 at the 2010 World Cup, an experimental German side under Loew’s leadership was beaten in 2011 in a friendly. Postecoglou then took his Asian Cup winners to Germany two months after their 2015 continental success, claiming a 2-2 draw in Kaiserslautern.
That result and Australia’s second-half showing in Russia was enough for Loew to give the tick to Postecoglou’s renovation job on the Socceroos’ style.
“What I have seen is there has been a development, a positive development,” he said through a translator.
“This team in 2010- and for a number of years - was playing with long and high balls. That was easy to defend against. In the last three or four years they have changed. They do more combinations, not playing the long ball.
“It’s a team that is courageous and sometimes cheeky enough to challenge the opponents and attack very boldly. There are not many teams doing that. They are very bold. I think they have developed very well in the last three or four years.”