Low: Germany must improve against Greeks
Reuters - Sunday 17 June 2012, 22:18
Germany performed well to beat a
defensive Danish side 2-1 in their last Euro 2012 Group B match
on Sunday but must do better in the quarter-final against
Greece, a game which will be as tough as "biting on a rock",
coach Joachim Loew said.
Germany defeated Denmark to win the group without ever
hitting top gear, Lukas Podolski and Lars Bender scoring amid
several wasted opportunities.
"We had three or four very good chances and missed that
killer instinct... that would of course have made the whole
task much easier," Low told a news conference after his side's
third consecutive win at the tournament.
"We had a job, we made it, we got through the group so we're
very satisfied. I think we can get a little bit better and we
need to do that in the next games."
Low complained his team had left too many spaces in
midfield and defence on occasion, allowing Denmark to slow down
the game.
"We could improve on that because Greece will be similar.
They're going to try to take the tempo out of the game," he
said.
"They can really defend well, they really throw themselves
into it whenever it's dangerous, they're right there. They're
very hard and it's like you're just biting on a rock."
Low had earlier told German television that Germany were
capable of being more focused against Greece in Gdansk on
Friday.
"We need to force the next opponent to their knees and then
we'll see what happens after that," he said.
Midfielder Sami Khedira echoed Low, saying: "We're going to
have to get used to it and not complain when a team pack their
defence."
Bender, who was only playing because of Jerome Boateng's
suspension, said the goal had been a wonderful present.
"It was a bit of luck that the ball came to me but you don't
think a lot about it, you just shoot it in," he said.