miro JK

• ZEITmagazin: We're taking this opportunity to ask: Do the players address you formally or informally?
• Löw: A few say “Du,” but most say “Sie”. [Du=informal, Sie=formal]
• ZEITmagazin: Who's allowed to say “Du”?
• Löw: Lukas Podolski says “Du.”
• ZEITmagazin: Without you offering it to him?
• Löw: Well, back when I was co-coaching under Jürgen Klinsmann, it somehow just happened automatically with him. I never explicitly offered it to anyone. But back then, I was somehow on an informal basis with all the older players such as Lehmann, Ballack or Frings. With the younger ones, excluding Lukas Podolski, it was the formal address. With Philipp Lahm, for example, or with Bastian Schweinsteiger or Per Mertesacker. And they still use the formal address with me – just like the younger players who have come in since 2006.

Interview with Joachim Löw (Zeit Magazin)

• ZEITmagazin: What does that mean, addressing someone on an emotional level?
• Löw: It means that when you criticise a player, you start with a positive experience. You move from praise to criticism.
• ZEITmagazin: Which players respond to that?
• Löw: Lukas Podolski is one of those sensible players who respond well to being addressed on an emotional level. Mario Götze, too. Or Mesut Özil. Actually, it's offense players in general who respond to emotional explanations. Defenders, strategists, they prefer precise instructions. In a way, that's only logical because it's just what I want from them in a match: precise orders, clear decisions.
• ZEITmagazin: How does the young generation of players differ from the older one?
• Löw: They are keen to learn things. And they do have values and interests that go beyond football. These values stabilise the players, the way they think and act, and build their character. It's why they are better prepared – you can see this with Mario Götze right now – for setbacks, be it because of injuries or simply because they're in a bad form.