Northern Ireland v Germany, Thurs 5th October

As German national coach he has never lost a World Cup qualifying game. In 28 qualifiers he has won 25 and drawn three - with a goal difference of 80; 97 for and 17 against. Low, who is known as Jogi, is aiming to take Germany to a fifth World Cup title to equal the record held by Brazil, adding to the trophy won under his stewardship in 2014 when Germany beat Argentina in the final in Rio de Janeiro. National coach since July 2006, Low has been in charge of Germany for 154 games, including friendlies. He has won 104, drawn 27 and lost 23. The former forward/attacking midfielder’s playing career lasted from 1978 to 1995 with SC Freiburg, with whom he had three spells, Eintracht Frankfurt and Karlsruhe in Germany and FC Schaffhausen, FC Winterthur and FC Frauenfeld in Switzerland. Low began his coaching career as player-coach with Frauenfeld in 1994-95 before moving to VfB Stuttgart (1996-98), with whom he won the German Cup in 1997 and finished as runners-up in the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1998. There followed spells with Fenerbahce (1998-99), Karlsruhe (1999-2000), Adanaspor (2000-01), Tirol Innsbruck (2001-02), with whom he won the Austrian League title, and Austria Vienna (2003- 04). When Jurgen Klinsmann became coach of the German national team in 2004 he appointed Low - he had first spotted him at a coaching course in Cologne four years earlier - as his assistant and Low was to play a major role in Germany achieving third place at the 2006 World Cup. When Klinsmann left after the 2006 tournament, Low was appointed in his place despite the fact he had never played for the senior international team. It hasn’t always been a smooth ride for the 57-year- old. Germany finished third in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, losing in the semi-final 1-0 to Joachim Low will be looking to preserve a remarkable record when his team face Northern Ireland this evening. GERMANY THE COACH

eventual winners Spain, and he was criticised in the media and by the public following Germany’s 2-1 defeat to Italy in the semi-finals of Euro 2012 - and that was after Germany had won 10 games out of 10 in the qualifiers for the tournament. His major triumph undoubtedly came in the 2014 World Cup when an unfancied German side upset the odds to defeat host nation Brazil 7-1 in the semi-final and went on to beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final. The Euro 2016 campaign was, in contrast, a disappointment for the coach and his squad. Following a less than convincing qualifying campaign, Germany’s dream of winning a World Cup and European Championship in successive campaigns was dashed when they were knocked out in the semi-finals by France (2-0). Things have certainly been different since then as the German squad look to fulfil the coach’s stated ambition of seeing Germany win the World Cup five times. A 100% record in the qualifiers to date, with a goal difference of 33 - 35 for and two against, certainly bodes well. Germany only need a draw from their last two matches - this evening against Northern Ireland or on Sunday at home to Azerbaijan - to secure first place in the group and automatic qualification to Russia 2018. Alongside that Germany have shown their huge depth of up and coming talent with Low’s largely young team winning the Confederations Cup in Russia back in the summer without losing a game. They defeated Chile 2-1 in the final in St Petersburg. Low has certainly earned the right to be named alongside the great German coaches such as Franz Beckenbauer, Helmut Schon and Sepp Herberger who all, like him, were World Cup winners. Words Roy Kitson

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