Germany coach Low remains steadfast despite shock defeat to Mexico

Germany coach Joachim Low is not about to rip up his team’s blueprint for success.

The defending champions are looking to recover from a shock defeat to Mexico in their opening match at the 2018 World Cup on Sunday.

Hirving Lozano’s goal in the 35th minute proved enough to hand El Tri a hard-earned victory, during which defender Mats Hummels felt Germany’s offensive approach had often left him and Jerome Boateng exposed.

Despite the negative headlines back home, Low is not about to hit the panic button as the squad aims to regroup ahead of their second Group F fixture against Sweden in Sochi on June 23.

“Throw out the game plan? We certainly do not do that,” Low said in an interview on the German federation’s official website, www.dfb.de.

“If we do the things we do well, then we can achieve a lot.

“(Against Mexico), everyone came and wanted to grab the ball, so we have to improve that and to rediscover our strength.”

Only Spain, in 2010, have gone on to lift the trophy after losing an opening match, while three of the last four world champions have failed to progress to the knockout stages.

Low, however, sees no reason for Die Mannschaft to suffer the same fate as they aim to make it back to the Luzhniki Stadium for the final on July 15.

“We will not fall to pieces,” he said. “We will make it (out of the group). We have every opportunity to correct things, but we have to make things right.”

Germany trained behind closed doors on Monday, and are set to head out to Sochi on Tuesday as focus turns towards the Sweden match.

Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil accepted the team had “made too many mistakes” against Mexico as they look to regroup.

He wrote on Twitter: “Sure, we made too many mistakes yesterday. We have to improve now. The match against Sweden will already be our first final.”

Mexico, meanwhile, were all smiles as Juan Carlos Osorio’s squad went through training drills at their Novogorsk-Dynamo base.

El Tri are also next in action on Saturday, when they play South Korea at the Rostov Arena.

Having caused a minor “artificial earthquake” by wild celebrations in Mexico City when Lozano scored, it appears now very much a case of keeping everyone grounded ahead of a crucial second group match.

“It was a historic triumph, but in the end we don’t want it to be just that,” defender Miguel Layun said at a press conference on Monday, quoted on the Mexico national team official Twitter account.

“Yesterday we took a big step, and hopefully it will serve us to know that we can now face all of our other rivals as equals.”