One Year of Jogi Löw

July 12, 2007 will mark the end of Joachim Löw's first year as coach of the German national team. He is hailed for his nearly flawless record in the job, just one defeat in 11 games -- and that was in a friendly in which he fielded youth players and reserves. Yet, for all the accolades, Löw has still yet to win any trophies, and the real test is still on the horizon: The 2008 European Championships.

Twelve months ago, Löw was known only as the tactical assistant at Jürgen Klinsmann's side. Jogi, as he is affectionately known, was never a big star or a hugely successful manager. His time as both player and manager was rarely ever spent in the top division. He has also never been a big media celebrity like his predecessors in the national team coaching job.

On July 12, 2006, just three days after the World Cup final, Löw was officially crowned as Klinsmann's successor. A month later, he was celebrating his first game and first victory as Germany launched the Löw era with a 3-0 friendly win over Sweden, who Germany also beat during the World Cup.

As his first season drew to a close, Löw could be proud of his record: nine victories, one draw and one defeat with 37goals for and six against. Germany also look to be a shoo-in for Euro 2008, leading qualifying Group D with 19 points, five ahead of the second-placed Czech Republic.

In his first year in office, Löw also showed that he had the courage to experiment and look toward the future. He gave international debuts to 13 players, and both international new-comers and established stars have responded to his leadership by helping the new boss set records.

When Germany thrashed San Marino 13-0 in the Euro 2008 qualifiers, it was the highest winning margin Germany had ever had in the tournament's history. Under Löw, Germany are now ranked fourth in the world, overtaking Argentina and sitting hard on the heels of Brazil.

Löw's Germany lavished with praise

Löw has also won over the public and press with ease. His record has led to headlines such as "Joachim Löw: A record that creates enthusiasm" and "Löw: The perfect coach." The fans love him for extending the World Cup party by another year and his current team looks to be brimming with confidence as they continue the journey Klinsmann started them on during the World Cup.

The level of praise sometimes even borders on hysteria and the usually cool Löw is not immune. He put Germany on the same level as World Cup winners Italy, beaten finalists France, semi-finalists Portugal and quarter-finalists England. But, showing his renowned intelligence, he quickly inserted the modest "but nobody should say that we are the top team in Europe" qualifier into his statement.

And wisely so. Since the World Cup, Germany have yet to play any of the teams that Löw mentioned in the same breath with his own. Löw's side has come up against a roll call of international soccer minnows; San Marino, Georgia, Cyprus and Switzerland, none of which is a reliable gauge as to how your team rates -- though previous Germany teams have been undone by these very same minnows.

Flashes of world-class quality

However, there have been real examples of quality play. The convincing victory against the Czechs in Prague was belied by the close 2-1 score line, and the first half of the 4-1 win against Slovakia in Bratislava was an example of fantasy soccer that did not go unnoticed by the media. "Pedigrees against mongrels," wrote Christof Knerr in the Süddeutsche Zeitung after the Slovakia game.

Despite mopping the floor with San Marino in the 6-0 return game in Group D, the German 11 were booed at half-time by their own fans, not only because the 13-0 win from the first game had spoilt them but because they were witnessing a disjointed display as Germany ran around like headless chickens, presumably after forgetting what the goal looked like.

The return game against the Slovaks in Hamburg in June this year was also less than imperious. After booking the 2-1 victory, Germany looked a spent force by the end -- not surprising considering that most of the players had recently finished over 50 top flight games in the season.

The Löw philosophy of play may be another factor explaining why when Germany look capable of beating the best FIFA has to offer when they play at high speed, but seem clueless when left with too much time to ponder the opposition.

"We have evaluated everything: running technique, speed, distances. We have determined that the possession-rate, how long the ball stays with a player, is 1.9 seconds," Löw said recently. "Fifteen months ago, the time the ball spent at the player's feet between receiving and passing the ball was 2.8 seconds." Löw is aiming for a high-tempo style for Germany, and he is getting there.

All that glitters is not always gold

However, there are other factors which paint a slightly false picture of Germany's strengths. The goals for and goals against record under Löw is slightly deceptive as 13 of the 37 goals scored came against San Marino.

There are also concerns that the goal scorers may be a little fragile with both Miroslav Klose and Kevin Kuranyi suffering from droughts and dips in confidence towards the end of the season. Lukas Podolski meanwhile had an indifferent season at Bayern Munich and ended the season out injured.

Löw's first year has been impressive, but he has hardly had to re-invent the wheel. Klinsmann left a culture of confidence and success that his right-hand man has taken over and continued. Löw has also yet to come up against any of the top teams in real competition. And while he has brought Germany to the very brink of qualification for Euro 2008, he hasn't won anything yet.

One thing is for sure and it's the one thing that Jogi Löw is more than aware of. In the business of coaching only one thing matters: winning trophies.