Germany need big changes, says Loew

Germany's coach Joachim Loew today acknowledged that far-reaching changes were needed after the Mannschaft's shock exit from the World Cup, adding that he needs some time to consider his future with the team.

"The Mannschaft did not demonstrate what it can usually do," he said at Frankfurt airport as the humiliated team arrived home after finishing at the bottom of the table in the group stages.

"As coach, I bear the responsibility and must of course ask myself why we didn't succeed. That will require a bit of time, and we will hold talks about it," he added.

But the coach stressed that "with the elimination, with the deep disappointment that we have experienced, we now need to think about which are the correct measures to take".

"We need far-reaching measures, we need clear changes. We'll need to talk about how we'll do that," he added.

After 12 golden years in charge crowned by the 2014 World Cup win in Brazil, Loew is under fire as a dismayed Germany question if he has placed his faith in too many former stars past their prime.

The daiy Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said only Loew's departure could give Germany the "new start" it needed.