By Oliver Trust
BERLIN, March 19 (Xinhua) -- German coach Joachim Loew is demanding greater efforts from the country's first division clubs to stimulate their attacking play.
The Bundesliga has a creativity problem, said the 2014 World Cup winning coach ahead of Germany's two friendlies against Spain and Brazil.
"In the last months and years, we have talked a lot about what happens when the opponent is in possession," the 56-year-old commented.
Loew said one of the Bundesliga's main problem is "wanting to work against the ball in the first place. But the crucial question is, 'What happens when my team has the ball?'"
Far too many league teams instead rely on a pragmatic defensive style rather than thinking about solutions up front.
With Bayern Munich in the Champions League and RB Leipzig in the Europa League, only two German club teams have reached the quarterfinals in European competition this season.
Only talking about "a four or five-man back line" is not enough Loew said. German football needs to implement more creativity to secure its position in world football.
Loew expressed his concern about the Bundesliga losing ground to other European leagues. Clubs have to modernize their tactical approach. The national coach said the central questions needs to be "how to use space, how to plan your game and overcome defenses with greater activity."
Dominant national and international teams count on an "excellence going forward" the German coach commented. Former Bayern Munich sports director Matthias Sammer backs Loew and says the German national team is an example to follow.
Though opponents have improved their defence, there are solutions to breaking down teams who choose to “park the bus”.
Many Bundesliga clubs "are not doing enough with the ball" Sammer stressed. The former German international called Loew "a trendsetter" adding tactical variability is not only a case of money and world-class players.
By demanding more flexibility, Loew and Sammer have sparked a controversial debate in German football about the quality of the Bundesliga.
