Tuesday 14 October 2014 16:54, UK
Germany manager Joachim Low believes his players are overworked and it has contributed to their shocking recent form.
The world champions were stunned by Poland on Saturday with a 2-0 defeat in European Qualifying Group D – their second loss in three games since the World Cup final.
Low’s side face Republic of Ireland on Tuesday night, live on Sky Sports 5HD, with their opponents fresh off the back of a 7-0 thrashing over Gibraltar.
The load on players is too high. It’s not down to the international matches they play, but down to the high demands at club level.
He will be without nine players for the game in Gelsenkirchen, including Benedikt Howedes Sami Khedira, Mesut Ozil and Marco Reus.
And Low said: “The load on players is too high. It’s not down to the international matches they play, but down to the high demands at club level.
“They are playing in their leagues, in cup competitions and the Champions League. I know that only applies to a select few players, but having been with Germany at many major tournaments – they need more breaks.
“They only had three weeks break after the World Cup, then they are back to the grind.”
The Germany boss has admits his side are in a difficult period, sitting third in qualifying with just the win over Scotland in September to boast.
But Low remains bullish in his belief that he can lead his team out through the other side.
“We used to be the hunter; now we are the prey,” Low said.
“We know that teams like Scotland will play with incredible motivation against us - but that was true even after the World Cup in 2010 and Euro 2012.
"We know the situation, we know how to get by it, but it's no different now than it used to be."
Germany v Republic of Ireland is live on Sky Sports 5HD from 7pm on Tuesday October 14.
