The pressure is anything but Löw for Joachim and Germany.
Questions surrounding his tenure as the German national team manager haven’t sprung out of nowhere.
Die Mannschaft produced its worst ever World Cup performance, crashing out at the group stage and finishing 22nd overall; an abysmal showing for a proud and routinely successful nation.
Since the World Cup, the team has recorded a 2-1 win over Peru in a friendly and that’s about it.
A 0-0 draw with France and a 3-0 loss to the Netherlands – the Dutch team’s first win over Germany in 16 years are hardly acceptable results.
To add to their woes, Die Mannschaft have failed to score in its last three competitive fixtures – the friendly against Peru the exception.
The team have also recorded five losses in a calendar year for the first time since 1985 when it was still competing as West Germany.
At the heart of this poor run is the coach.
Of course, Löw’s record speaks for itself and shouldn’t be undersold or disrespected. The 58-year-old is Germany’s longest serving manager and has been at the helm for 12 years.
In that time he has won a World Cup and a Confederations Cup, steered the team to a third place finish at South Africa in 2010 and has made it to at least the semi-finals in every European Championship he has been in charge.
But that past success does little to make recent performances look any better. The decision to extend his contract until 2022 also takes on a new look in light of these results.
Despite all this concern, the death knell is still some way from ringing. However, a poor showing at Euro 2020 could spell the end for Löw.
The past six months raise questions about how long is too long when it comes to a national team coach’s reign. Is the coach a small, easily removable part of a bigger problem in Germany?
Time will tell but one thing is for certain, Germany will not tolerate poor results for long.
