FIFA CONFEDERATIONS CUP:

LOEW RECEIVES FIRST INSTALLMENT

The FIFA Confederations Cup came to a head on Sunday at the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg, Russia as the prelude to the main show to be staged next year ending in thrills and drama. In the end, it was a young burgeoning Germany side that pipped a golden generation side from Chile, thanks to a 20^th minute goal from Lars Stindl. 

It was an epic end to a tournament that had a lot of drama before, during and even after it especially with FIFA’s test run of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system which sparked its own controversies and somewhat threatened to pour scorn on the tournament with some baffling scenarios created from the group stages up to the final. The important note there for Gianni Infantino is for him and his team to look into their project and find solutions. Such jokes would not speak well in the FIFA World Cup proper.

However, for Germany and their young Die Mannschaft, it seemed like a night written in the stars and the moment Marcelo Diaz made a shocking mistake under minimal pressure and Lars Stindl placed the ball in the net past Semi-final penalty shootout hero, Bravo, it was set up for a night where Joachim Loew’s team would receive the first fruits of their project.

Derided , questioned and queried for putting up a squad that was largely inexperienced at the top level internationally, Joachim Loew’s regard for the FIFA competition was questioned as established stars like Matts Hummels, Thomas Mueller, Toni Kroos and a host of others were left to cool their heels at home. However, after Sunday’s triumph over a much more experienced and largely successful team in the last five years, coupled with the performances building up to the final, Joachim Loew has cashed in the first installment of his reward and some of those big names would do well to worry about their seat on the plane to Russia next year.

The main idea was to explore a new course and to lay foundation for the coming generation. Since taking full charge after the 2006 World Cup, Joachim Loew has set about achieving sustained success and positioning Germany at the top level. The structures in the footballing culture of the nation in bring youth through the ranks has worked well and has delivered success for German sides. Loew realizes that the cycle is completing its course and after the retirement of icons such as Miroslav Klose, Phillip Lahm, Per Mertesacker and Bastain Sweinsteiger, the team is at a point to be rebuilt and while Loew says he wished to rest key men, there is no doubt what Germany stand to gain from this move in the not too distant future.

No team has had the luck required to successfully defend the World Cup title four years after first winning it since Brazil in 1962 when they won their third title after defeating Czechslovakia in Chile. Joachim Loew might have that at the back of his mind and the reigning Champions are run to favourites for the podium in Russia come the World Cup proper. Till that time though, Germany would revel in this success and use it as the springboard to achieve the main goal and then this process taken would have served its full purpose.