In an interview, Germany coach Joachim Löw praises the new European champions from Spain and sees the loss as incentive for the World Cup.
Question: Joachim Löw, how do you evaluate the 0:1 loss to Spain the the EURO 2008 final?
Joachim Löw: You have to acknowledge the high quality of the Spaniards. They were technically brilliant and had the better chances. We shouldn't have given up the goal, but the Spaniards were more dangerous moving forward. It's fair that they won.
Question: Does that limit the disappointment?
Löw: Of course we're disappointed that we didn't win the final. But I still have to give the team a huge compliment. They fought and played as hard as they could. It's fantastic what they achieved in the last six weeks. We had a lot of fun and enjoyment and treated one another with respect. You have to give credit for that.
Question: What did you say to the team in the locker room?
Löw: I told them they shouldn't hang their heads. We made it to the final. That's something really special.
Question: What stopped you from going all the way?
Löw: I'm not going to get into an analysis of the game right now. We'll sit down toghether at some point and analyze the tournament and the players. It's too emotional right after the game. But we already know which areas we have to improve. We didn't always play with the high quality we've often had over the past two years.
Question:: How about Michael Ballack's performance?
Löw: I was very happy he could play. He's extremely important for the team on the pitch. I'm don't want to talk about the performance of individual players. It was important that he was there.
Question: And how do you rate his contribution during the whole tournament?
Löw: He was the leader. He did a lot for the team and represented Germany very well.
Question: Can you take the Spaniards as role models?
Löw: Totally. Spain has high technical quality. They're taught that in training. And the players are regularly at a high level in the Champions League. They're very strong on the ball.
Question: How would you rate your team after this tournament?
Löw: You could see in the EURO and even in qualification that we are one of the leading teams in Europe. We've learned from this and we've grown. We're among the best in Europe and in the world. But we can't lose the energy and strength we need to keep working hard.
Question: Will Jens Lehmann continue in goal for the national team?
Löw: I haven't talked with him about the future yet. I only congratulated him. He did a good job. He's also a leader on the team and very important for the team.
Question: World Cup qualification starts in September. What can the fans look forward to?
Löw: The loss is incentive to work on certain things over the next two years — to press on with certain things and improve them in order to qualify for the World Cup in South Africa. We want to do just as well there as we did in the EURO.
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