(AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Germany coach Joachim Loew gets the most out his team at Euro 2008 but looks to do even better

By ERIC WILLEMSEN,

VIENNA, Austria (AP) Joachim Loew faced an uphill task when taking over as coach from Juergen Klinsmann after the Germans finished third at the 2006 World Cup.

But two years after the so-called "Summer Fairy Tale," Loew came close to writing an even bigger success story, if Spain hadn't turned out to be too big an obstacle for Germany in the European Championship final on Sunday.

Spain won its first tournament in 44 years on a first-half goal by striker Fernando Torres, denying Germany a fourth European Championship title.

"We are disappointed that we couldn't win, but I think we can be satisfied with the tournament as a whole," Loew said. "The team was perfect for the 45 days we spent together. We had a lot of fun but we were very ambitious."

Loew admitted that Germany just did not play well enough to be entitled to lay its hands on the trophy.

"We did not play at our best," Loew said. "We managed to put some pressure on Spain in the second half, but just couldn't create much danger. We stayed well below the level of what we are capable of playing. That's hard to take in a final, but overall we must be glad with how the tournament went for us."

Germany was beaten by a team that was more consistent over the past three weeks than any other at Euro 2008 as it looked to add to its 1964 European Championship win.

"Spain's victory was OK, they deserved to win," Loew said. "We controlled the game for 15 minutes, but had no answer after Spain found its rhythm. Spain played better, we couldn't match their level."

The German coaching staff will analyze the final and the team's five previous games, and Loew looks forward to preparing the team for future events.

"This is an incentive to work hard in the next two years," Loew said. "We'll analyze the whole tournament and once we've gained distance and calmed down, we can do that much better. Right now, we're full of emotion."

Klinsmann's appointment of Loew as his assistant in 2004 marked the introduction of new, more attacking style for Germany. As host, the team surprised many by its fluent play at the 2006 World Cup, resulting in a third-place finish that was beyond the expectations of many.

When Klinsmann quit after the tournament, Loew took over and declared he would continue on the same path.

Germany won its first five matches under Loew - the best ever start for a Germany coach - but was then held to a 1-1 draw with Cyprus.

However, Germany went on to easily qualify for Euro 2008 and played well against Poland and Portugal, but looked out of sorts against Croatia and had scrappy wins over Austria and Turkey.

Facing fierce competition, Loew is content with Germany's performance, but knows he work to do heading into the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.

"Looking back at the past two years, I think we've been able to show we are fast," Loew said. "I would say that we are right at the front in Europe. Nevertheless, we know must not lose energy and strength."

Updated September 2, 2008