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No comeback for Mesut Özil after fallout, says Jogi Löw

AFP
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No comeback for Mesut Özil after fallout, says Jogi Löw
Joachim Löw walks with Mesut Özil during the 2018 World Cup. Photo: DPA

Germany coach Joachim Löw has confirmed there is no chance of Mesut Özil returning to the team in the wake of the player's bombshell retirement from international duty in July.

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"I think everything has been said about this. When a player announces his resignation like that, you don't pick him for the squad eight or nine weeks later," Löw said at a press conference on Wednesday.

"Players who have resigned will not have a role to play in future."

He spoke out ahead of Germany's UEFA Nations League game against World Cup winners France, which takes place on Thursday.

Özil, capped 92 times, announced his retirement from international football in the wake of Germany's disastrous World Cup campaign. He accused the German Football Association (DFB) of racism, allegations which DFB president, Reinhard Grindel rejected.

The Arsenal player had said in his statement, which he released on Twitter on July 22nd, that he would "no longer be playing for Germany at international level whilst I have this feeling of racism and disrespect".

Löw said he regrets that he's not been able to speak to the football star about his decision, but that he will keep trying.

"Mesut and I enjoyed a lot of success together over the years. I have tried several times to reach him on the phone, without any luck, and I will continue to try and make contact with him in future," he said.

World Cup blues

Germany are desperate to put their summertime blues behind them on Thursday when they host the French - the team who succeeded them as World Cup winners - in Munich.

The start of the brand new Nations League has thrown up a mouthwatering match for Löw's side, which will retain a core of players who so badly underperformed in Russia.

"We are facing a new beginning. I feel that there is a positive impatience among the players to make amends for the summer," Löw said at the Allianz Arena.

Löw, who resisted calls to resign after a disastrous World Cup campaign, is now under pressure to show that he is the right man to lead Germany into a new era of success. He has a contract until 2022, having extended his deal in the spring.

He has done a lot of thinking since the World Cup," midfielder Toni Kroos said of his coach.

"From our training sessions, I feel like we are changing one or two things, and I hope that people see that tomorrow (Thursday)."

Veteran midfielder Sami Khedira was among those left out of the squad, while youngsters Thilo Kehrer and Kai Havertz have been called up for the first time.

Manchester City's Leroy Sane also returns after his controversial exclusion from the World Cup squad.

Adjustment in style 

The Germany boss is also expected to make tactical changes, having admitted last week that a focus on dominant possession football was his "biggest mistake" at the World Cup.

"We have been very successful with possession football in recent years, and we won't give up on that vision," said Löw , although he conceded that Germany needed to adjust their style.

In his open appraisal of the World Cup disaster last week, Löw also identified a lack of motivation and questions over the team's mentality.

"We didn't have the same incredible team spirit that we had in 2014," he admitted. "We weren't a tight-knit group from the word go."

The Özil affair has been amplified by reports of a dressing-room rift, with players of an ethnic minority background, such as Özil and Jerome Boateng, on one side, and the likes of Thomas Müller and Toni Kroos on the other.

"Of course we have guys with different interests, but there are no rifts," insisted Müller on Tuesday, adding that the game against France was an opportunity to put such talk to bed.

Löw, meanwhile, heaped praise on Thursday's opponents, who beat Germany in the Euro 2016 semi-finals.

"France have been the best team in the world over the last two or three years. They have a incredible balance, are strong in defence and attack and have a lot of quality in every position."


 

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