The Daily Bee: Auf Wiedersehen, Joachim Löw

Good morning, Fear the Wall!

So, Germany is out of EURO 2020, following a defeat to England in the Round of 16. It was a close game and a pretty balance performance from the Germans, who unfortunately couldn’t finish the chances they created, including a pair of one-on-ones from Timo Werner and Thomas Müller. England, on the other hand, finished their two biggest chances, and are now off to face Ukraine in the Round of 16.

As was agreed upon prior to the tournament, manager Joachim Löw has stepped down, thus ending his 15-year reign as head coach of the German national team. Hansi Flick, the caretaker manager that brought Bayern Munich the sextuple, will take over the reigns in his place.

While Löw’s tenure saw the Germans rise to the highest level of achievement with a World Cup win in 2014, the last seven years have seen other nations pass Germany by. The Germans were deservedly eliminated by France in EURO 2016, and after the team failed to make it out of the group stage at the 2018 World Cup, many called for Joachim Löw to be sacked there and then. He then chose to try to scapegoat several key players, including Müller, Mats Hummels, and Jerome Boateng, and the three years that followed have been marred by constant drama and poor play. Germany’s play was poor leading up to the EUROs, with a brutal 6-0 smackdown at Spanish hands signifying troubled waters ahead.

By the end of Löw’s tenure, the Germans were boring, unthreatening, and most importantly, they weren’t winning. The team is in much more capable and forward-thinking hands now that Hansi Flick is in charge.

Perhaps best of all, Löw’s departure means we won’t have to deal with any more of this weirdness.

Sergio Gomez Moves to Anderlecht

Sergio Gomez, BVB’s Spanish U-23 midfielder, has completed a transfer to RSC Anderlecht of the Belgian Super League. Gomez spent the last year in SD Huesca on loan, and with a stockpile of talented midfielders in Dortmund, his future of the club was opaque at best. Hopefully by moving to Belgium he’ll be able to develop his career a lot better.

All the best, Sergio!

The Daily Buzz

With Germany, France, and Portugal out, who is your favorite to win the tournament?