Youth the key for Loew’s Germany

(GSM) – Germany manager Joachim Loew has placed his faith in the ability of his young squad to make history at the World Cup finals.

Loew’s side boarded the plane to South Africa on Sunday following their completion of pre-tournament preparations with a 3-1 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina, with the coach optimistic about his side’s chances.

But the Germans face difficult opponents in their Goup D, with Australia, Serbia and Ghana providing a challenging passage for the team to the last 16.

Pim Verbeek’s Socceroos are Germany’s first opponents and Loew believes his players can exhibit their potential in the showpiece event.

He said: “We have young players who are technically very good and the potential is high. Everybody has worked hard, but we still have another week of hard work ahead.

“We have a good team with great will and a great atmosphere. Everybody is passionate in training and that makes me certain that we can play a good tournament – I have lots of faith.”

Leading the German team on the field is defender Philipp Lahm, who travels to the competition as his country’s youngest ever captain at a major tournament.

The 26-year-old still boasts plenty of international experience, armed with 65 caps to his name, and Loew says the Bayern München man is the ideal person to fill the void left by the injured Michael Ballack.

Loew added: “He always speaks his mind clearly and openly – for me, Philipp Lahm is an important person to talk to. I know that I am always going to get open and honest feedback from him.”