He may have potentially lost his captain and talisman for the biggest game of his coaching career so far, but Joachim Löw's belief in his Germany side was unerring as he met the press on Saturday at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion.
Objective
Calm and assured, irrespective of whether Michael Ballack will be fit or not, the 48-year-old had just one thing in mind as he contemplated the UEFA EURO 2008™ final against Spain. "Of course I expect a victory," said Löw, whose side's run to the final has been unpredictable, Ballack's calf muscle injury is just the latest twist to an exciting tale. "It's the last game and we have a long and hard road behind us. This tournament has been tough on all the players and teams and has taken up a lot of strength. But the final was our objective and we will gather our efforts to win the match and take the cup back home to Germany."
While Germany's performances have been erratic, Löw admitted to being impressed by Spain's consistency. He is confident, though, his side will raise their game to keep pace. "The Spaniards have been the most consistent team so far," he said. "I don't remember a single phase of weakness. "They have excellent technique, are flexible regarding their positions and sure about their passes. They all play for clubs like Arsenal [FC], Real [Madrid CF] and Liverpool [FC] at the top level and are used to a fast-paced playing style and can stand the pressure. Spain are the favourites perhaps, but we are confident nonetheless. We're under positive pressure now and are highly motivated, we will certainly be better than we were against Turkey. I'm sure all the players will play at the highest level tomorrow and they must if we are to win."
'Pleasure'
Germany were pushed to the limit by Fatih Terim's side in the semi-final, eventually prevailing 3-2 thanks to Philipp Lahm's late strike. The victory was a further example of the strong spirit in the squad, which developed while Löw was working as Jürgen Klinsmann's assistant at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Germany were knocked out in the semi-finals two years ago and have already gone one better here. Having got this far, though, Löw intends to go home with the trophy Germany last won in 1996. "After the World Cup we set ourselves new objectives and the goal was to win this title. We have been working at this for two years. Having set ourselves such a difficult goal, if we can win tomorrow the pleasure would be enormous. It would be a big satisfaction for us."
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