Germany coach Joachim Löw concedes the process which led to the end of Michael Ballack’s international career should have been handled better.

Ballack was expected to lead his country at last year’s World Cup finals but suffered an injury in Chelsea’s FA Cup final clash with Portsmouth which ruled him out of the tournament.

The resulting success of a young German team in South Africa prompted Löw to announce in June that he would not be selecting Ballack again as it went against his new focus on youth development. The midfielder, who turned 35 in September, lashed out at Löw for treating him disrespectfully and even turned down the offer of a testimonial match for Germany.

Under Löw’s leadership, the team has continued to get stronger and qualified for Euro 2012 top of their group. They head into next summer’s tournament as one of the favourites to lift the trophy but looking back now Löw admits some regret at the way Ballack – a player who has played for Germany just short of 100 times – retired from international football.

“All of us who were involved in this thing should have found a better solution,” Löw told Sky Bundesliga. ”All of the parties involved. Just as it was then, and how it is currently, it is not satisfactory. I hope we can resolve things someday.”

Ballack currently plays his club football with Bayer Leverkusen but has recently been linked with a move to Major League Soccer.

Germany coach Joachim Löw says his team will have no fear when they start their Euro 2012 campaign against Portugal, having also drawn Denmark and World Cup finalists Holland in Group B.

Germany were the first team to book their Euro 2012 place, winning all 10 of their qualification matches.

They face Portugal in Lviv on Saturday June 9, Holland in Kharkiv on Wednesday June 13, then finish against Denmark in Lviv again, on Sunday June 17.

The Germans hammered Holland 3-0 in Hamburg last month in a friendly, but Löw said there would be no easy games in the group, although there was no fear of Portugal, who Germany beat 3-2 in the quarter-finals of Euro 2008.

“We’ll take it as it comes, we have no fear,” said Löw. “Before the draw, I said that there was no team I preferred to meet, everyone will be hard to play against. Being at a European Championships is just like being at a World Cup, any team can pull off a surprise.”

The 51-year-old said he was also looking forward to facing World Cup finalists Holland, but that European neighbours Denmark would be especially dangerous.

“I believe that this is the heaviest and most balanced group with the strongest teams,” said Löw. ”The Netherlands and Portugal have world-class players and we can look forward to interesting games against them.

“Denmark are always an uncomfortable team to face in a tournament. The Danes can assume the role of underdogs and take on bigger teams without pressure or fear. That makes them dangerous.”

Having reached the final of Euro 2008 and finished third at last year’s World Cup, Germany are one of the teams widely tipped to take the title in the final at Kiev’s Olympic Stadium on July 1, but Löw dismissed the favourites tag.

“Before a tournament, a lot is always said, especially when people look at the qualification results,” said Löw, who has coached Germany since 2006. But everyone knows that the title can only be won by the team in top form at the right time and when everything works. There is still a half year before the Euros and a lot can still happen – injuries for example.

“If we are in top form, we have a good chance, but that is also valid for Spain, who everyone has to be measured against, and also Holland, who will be stronger than they were against us in Hamburg. Also England, France, Italy and Portugal will have their chances.”

The team will be based in north Poland, but will travel to the Ukraine for all three of their group games. They face flights of 750km to Lviv, twice, and 1,500km to Kharkiv, but Löw says the travelling will be no worse than his team have already experienced.

“You have to fly anyway. Perhaps we will play the quarters or semi-final in Poland,” said Löw. ”We were based in Switzerland for Euro 2008, but ended up flying to the final in Vienna.”

The German team played its last game of 2011 on Tuesday in a friendly against the Netherlands, and coach Joachim Löw can send the team home for the year with a smile on his face.

“Holland was a custom-made opponent,” Löw said in the post-game press conference. “Holland had no chance.”

The team’s 3-0 win in Hamburg was more than just a pride-boosting dressing down of the World Cup runners-up. It was a final confirmation that Löw’s Germany is running like a well-oiled machine heading into next summer’s European Championship.

Winning all of their Euro 2012 qualifiers was certainly a strong indication that things were running smoothly on the team, but nothing speaks louder than such a strong performance against a a techincally strong side like Holland.

Germany’s offense was a pleasure to behold, with early attacks strung together with crisp, clean short passes and well-selected long balls that were bound to yield goals.

The first of Gremany’s three goals came after 15 minutes on a play that couldn’t have been scripted better. Toni Kroos sent the ball across the pitch toward Klose on the right side, who quickly brought it under control and slotted it brilliantly to Thomas Müller in the middle, who put it away easily.

Klose himself took care of Germany’s second goal, with the play starting this time with Müller. His pass to Mesut Özil on the right side meant Özil had to use his weaker foot – his right – but that didn’t seem to matter. He placed a perfect cross for Klose to put away with a rocket header, making it 2-0 for Germany after just 21 minutes.

The goal for Klose was his 63rd for the German team, putting him five off the national record of 68 held by Gerd Müller since 1974.

But more important than taking another step towards the record, Klose marked his return to the national team after missing two months due to on-and-off injuries. Löw typically selects a lone striker, and Klose’s former teammate at Bayern Munich Mario Gomez – having another red-hot Bundesliga season – has laid claim to that position in recent months.

Klose quickly found his place within the team on his return, both setting up his teammates and taking chances himself. The captain’s band that he wore in place of Philipp Lahm, who was given the night off, seemed to suit him – certainly much better than it did Gomez in Germany’s 3-3 nail-biter draw with Ukraine last Friday.

The final goal for Germany could have gone to Klose, but he took a selfless, safer route and set up Özil instead. Müller passed to Özil, who then promptly dished over to Klose, who was in a one-on-one with Holland’s keeper, Maarten Stekelenburg. It was short range, though, and while Klose likely would have made the shot, he sent the ball right back to Özil, who merely had to put the final tap on the ball to send it into a wide open net.

The Dutch couldn’t find an answer for Germany’s smart playmaking up front, and their own efforts on offense fell apart before they could become truly threatening.

Germany’s defense played a role there, with a lot of the work being done by veteran Per Mertesacker. The defense wasn’t spotless, but they looked a lot better than last week, when Löw tried out a three-man back row. Back to their usual row of four, they fared much better. But, as Löw pointed out, it was the German offense that won this game.

“We played with a lot of passion and were light on our feet, which overwhelmed Holland,” he said. “The midfield and offense did especially good work, and Holland hardly came into the danger area.”

By beating Holland, Germany set themselves even further apart from the rest of the field going into 2012. They were the best team in qualifying – Spain also won all their games, but played in a smaller group – and they beat a Dutch team that won nine of their 10 qualifiers. Spain, incidentally, only managed a 2-2 draw in a friendly with Costa Rica on Tuesday.

The loss by no means indicates that the Netherlands are not a dangerous opponent for anyone who plays them at Euro 2012, but it does send a signal to any teams who might have to face Germany.

“This game doesn’t say much about us, but (it) says a lot about the strengths of the German team,” said Holland’s coach, Bert van Marwijk. “When you look at this game, you see that Germany is one of the biggest European Championship favorites.”

The tournament is more than six months down the road, but Germany has more than proven that they are a serious contender.

“There is a long time until the tournament,” said defender Dennis Aogo after the match. “But when we play like we did today against such a great team, it’s hard to shake the label of favorites.”

Germany will have one more test before the tournament gets underway in Poland and Ukraine in June – a friendly in Bremen against France at the end of February. That’s another chance to prove themselves against a European powerhouse, but Löw and his team have put in the work. Next summer when they’ve shaken off the dust in the training camp in the weeks before the tournament, they know they have what it takes to come out firing on all pistons.

That’s a thought that can allow Löw and the rest of the team to rest easy over the winter, dreaming of a fairy-tale summer in Poland and Ukraine.

Coach Joachim Löw has insisted his side have nothing to fear ahead of Tuesday’s friendly against World Cup finalists the Netherlands in Hamburg as they look to finish 2011 in style.

After winning all 10 of their Euro 2012 qualifiers and humbling Brazil in an August friendly, Löw is looking for Germany’s first win over the Dutch since 1996 in what will be his 75th international as national team coach.

Both sides are without key players with Germany captain Philipp Lahm being rested and Bayern Munich star midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger missing with a broken collarbone.

Likewise, Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart is out with a thigh strain while striker Robin van Persie has returned to his Premier League club Arsenal to be rested.

The Dutch attack will feature Inter Milan star Wesley Sneijder and Liverpool’s Dirk Kuyt, but Löw says his team — including Real Madrid play-maker Mesut Ozil and Bayern’s Mario Gomez — are relishing the challenge.

“We have no fear and there is no reason to be afraid,” Löw told reporters Monday.

“It will be a great challenge to play against the number two team in the world. I expect an aggressive and interesting game.”

While both teams are among the Euro 2012 favourites, they share a rich history with Germany racking up 13 wins to the Netherlands’ 10 and the sides drawing 14 times since their first encounter in 1910.

Their most explosive clash was in Milan at the 1990 World Cup when Germany beat the Netherlands 2-1 in a bad-tempered quarter-final.

Both Germany’s Rudi Voeller and Holland’s Frank Rijkaard were sent off early in the match after the Dutchman infamously spat at the German midfielder.

A Dutch reporter could not resist asking whether the match in Hamburg was a friendly game or a war between neighbours.

“It is a test game for both teams, this game has no influence on next year,” replied Löw diplomatically.

“Of course, we both want a win, we want to both show what we can do, but I don’t think it will come with an elevated level of aggression.”

Löw played an experimental three-man defence in Friday’s 3-3 draw with Ukraine in Kiev and is considering playing a traditional 4-4-2 formation against the Dutch.

Veteran Miroslav Klose, who is six goals short of Gerd Mueller’s record as Germany’s all-time top scorer, trained on Sunday and Löw said he will decide on Monday night whether he will partner Mario Gomez up front.

The coach also said Hamburg’s Dennis Aogo will switch from defensive midfielder to left back while Ozil will start.

The Dutch meanwhile are looking for a win in Hamburg after they were booed by their own fans after a goalless draw against Switzerland in Amsterdam on Friday.

“The Netherlands have mastered the system they play, they know exactly what to do and they are hard to beat,” said Löw.

“Their extra class is the strength they have shown over the years, they have individual players who have great speed, especially in one-to-one situations.”

Germany survived a scare on Friday as the guests had to come from 3-1 down to seal a 3-3 draw with Euro 2012 co-hosts the Ukraine in a thrilling friendly.

Germany was without a few of its usual players. Captain Philipp Lahm was given the night off, with his captain’s band being passed on to Mario Gomez. Midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, normally a leading playmaker, was out with a broken collarbone.

The team’s stalwart goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, was also not in the lineup, being replaced by Hanover’s 22-year-old keeper, Ron-Robert Zieler, who made his national team debut.

The Ukraine took the lead when Dynamo Kiev striker Andriy Yarmolenko opened the scoring when he stabbed home his shot on 28 minutes for the first goal.

The second came nine minutes later when German defender Mats Hummels lost possession near the Ukraine penalty area and midfielder Yevhen Konoplianka sprinted some 70 metres to round Zieler and slot home.

Germany pulled a goal back on 39 minutes when Bayern Munich midfielder Toni Kroos rifled a shot home from outside the penalty area.

The hosts went into the break 3-1 up when replacement Serhiy Nazarenko calmly took a pass from Shevchenko and beat Zieler with a curling shot from outside of the area a minute into added time at the end of the first-half.

Löw enforced his team at the break with Leverkusen pair Simon Rolfes and Andre Schuerrle, but stuck with the same formation as Nazarenko and Shevchenko both fired just wide of the German goal early in the second half.

Rolfes pulled a second goal back for Germany to make it 3-2 on 65 minutes while Loew bolstered his attack by bringing experienced pair Lukas Podolski and Thomas Müller off the bench.

It paid off as Müller hit the equaliser when he cut in from the left wing and unleashed his shot which Ukraine goalkeeper Oleksandr Rybka failed to save with a feeble attempt on 78 minutes.

The German Football Association has increased its win bonus for the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine next year. Each player will get €300,000 should Germany carry home the title.

That is the most that has ever been offered to the national team players for winning the biggest European competition, matching the reward the players would have taken home if they’d won the 2006 World Cup in Germany, and a nice chunk more than the €250,000 they would have received if they had won the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The 23-man squad, led by captain Michael Ballack, took €100,000 per man for reaching the semi-final in 2006, where they lost a thrilling match in extra-time against eventual winners Italy. The German players received the same amount for reaching the semi-final of the 2010 World Cup.

The highest tournament bonus the DFB has ever handed out was €150,000 per player for the 1-0 defeat to Spain in the final of the 2008 European Championship in Austria.

The DFB said Friday that the increased bonus was due to an increased income from European football’s governing body UEFA, which will reward the winning football association with €23.5 million.

Six players have already earned a bonus of €180,000 for taking part in all ten games of the Euro 2012 qualification competition. They are Bayern Munich stars Philipp Lahm, Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller and Holger Badstuber, as well as Real Madrid star Mesut Özil and Cologne striker Lukas Podolski.

This is a financial reward that Germany’s previous national teams could only dream of. The world champions of 1954 famously received 2,500 Deutsche Marks, a leather suitcase, a black-and-white TV and a moped, while the 1974 world champions, led by Franz Beckenbauer got DM 70,000 plus a Volkswagen Beetle.

The 1990 world champions, featuring Lothar Matthäus and Jürgen Klinsmann, each received 125,000 Deutsche Marks.

Germany captain Philipp Lahm will be rested for the friendly games in Ukraine (November, 11th) and against Netherlands in Hamburg (November, 15th) later this month after a busy year for club and country, coach Joachim Löw said on Friday.

Löw said Bayern München’s Lahm had played a lot of 90-minute games and deserved a break. “That is why he gets a rest and I get the chance to test alternatives for the left back position,” Löw said in a statement.

Germany qualified for the Euro 2012 finals in style after winning all 10 of their qualifiers. Löw also gave Bayern München’s keeper Manuel Neuer a one-game break and will use substitutes Tim Wiese and Ron-Robert Zieler against Ukraine.

First choice keeper Neuer will be back in the fold against the Dutch four days later. “We want to finish this successful year on a positive note,” Löw said. “It is also important to play in Ukraine and get experience ahead of the tournament next year.”

Germany completed a perfect EURO 2012 qualifying campaign with their tenth win from ten games by beating Belgium 3-1 in Dusseldorf.

Two goals in the space of three first-half minutes from Mesut Ozil and Andre Schurrle put the hosts on course for yet another victory, with Mario Gomez adding a third just after the interval. Marouane Fellaini grabbed a consolation in the 86th minute but it was not enough for Belgium to finish second in Group A.

Having already qualified for next summer’s championships in style, Germany could have been forgiven for taking it easy, but there was no evidence of that as they tore the Belgians apart with another impressive victory, much to coach Joachim Löw’s satisfaction.

“It was important that we finished it off like this, simply to show that the Germans never let up,” he said. “We never wanted to be open to criticism that we could influence the competition with a poor performance. We did not want to win this game for Turkey, but for us.”

Germany’s win meant Turkey needed just a draw from their match against Azerbaijan to clinch a place in the play-offs for Poland and Ukraine. For Germany goalscorer Ozil, whose family is Turkish, there was therefore two reasons to celebrate.

“Of course I am delighted for my Turkish friends,” he told ZDF after discovering that Turkey had beaten Azerbaijan 1-0. “I hope that they now qualify for the European Championships via the play-offs. We desperately wanted to win our last game. We had a few difficulties to start with, but after going 1-0 up, we settled down and deserved to win.”

Belgium needed Turkey to lose at home to Azerbaijan but were left disappointed as Guus Hiddink’s side clinched second spot with their 1-0 win. Knowing that a victory would be enough to assure them of a place in the play-offs for EURO 2012, they started brightly in Dusseldorf.

They spent most of the first ten minutes inside the Germany half, but never troubled Manuel Neuer in the German goal. The first chance of note fell to Schuerrle, who sent a curling shot just wide of the far post midway through the first-half.

Belgium goalkeeper Simon Mignolet then raced off his line to deny Gomez, before the hosts took the lead half an hour in thanks to a sensational strike.

Toni Kroos’ corner was met by Sami Khedira, whose shot was blocked. However, the Real Madrid midfielder did not give up and he squared the ball to Ozil, who thumped home a shot off the underside of the bar from the edge of the box.

Belgium barely had time to regroup before they fell further behind three minutes later at the end of a devastating counter-attack. A Belgian corner was cleared to Ozil on the edge of his own area, and he headed the ball into the path of Gomez, who drove at the visiting defence before slipping in Schürrle. The Bayer Leverkusen man then beat Mignolet with the coollest of chips.

Gomez almost made it three on the stroke of half-time but, after a neat one-two with Khedira to get in around the back of the Belgium defence, his shot was blocked by Mignolet. The Bayern Munich striker did not have to wait too long for his goal, though.

He scored Germany’s third in the 48th minute after being put through by Ozil and taking the ball past Vincent Kompany before leaving Mignolet no chance with a shot from the edge of the area.

Fellaini grabbed a consolation with a header from Axel Witsel’s corner, but it was too little too late for Belgium as the defeat ended their hopes of qualifying for EURO 2012.

“Germany is a machine that plays with great intelligence,” Belgium coach Georges Leekens said. “Germany is among the European Championship title candidates along with Spain and Holland.”

Coach Joachim Löw donated his lucky sweater from the 2010 World Cup to a children’s charity, which then sold it for €1 million to retailer Galeria Kaufhof, which then donated it to a German football museum being built by the German Football Federation (DFB).

“I hope that the pullover will have a worthy place in the museum and will be well looked after,” said Löw as he handed over the cashmere sweater.

“Maybe I will still need it to bring me luck in other tournaments.”

The sweater earned its reputation as a lucky charm after Löw wore it during three wins when his side scored four goals in South Africa – against Australia (4-0), Argentina (4-0) and England (4-1).

Germany finally lost to eventual winners Spain to finish third in the tournament.

Work on the DFB museum is due to start in 2012 on the site in Dortmund, western Germany. Though the museum will only be completed in 2014, the presentation took place on Monday, a day before Germany are due to meet Belgium in Euro 2012 qualifying.

Germany coach Joachim Loew has excused midfielder Mario Goetze for the final European Championship qualifier against Belgium on Tuesday.

“Goetze had a lot of games last season and has a lot coming up (for Borussia Dortmund) so we simply decided to give him a bit of a rest,” Loew’s assistant Hansi Flick said Sunday.

Germany tops Group A and has already qualified for next year’s tournament with nine wins from nine games. Second place Belgium needs to win to secure a playoff spot ahead of Turkey, which is one point behind and hosts Azerbaijan. ”We’re taking the game very seriously, and we’ll try and get the 10th win,” Flick said.

“It’s our duty to give everything,” Flick said. “Our performances have been impressive following the World Cup and we want to give our fans a good game … Belgium has a lot of young talented players (but) we know what to expect. We’ll try to win the game regardless of who plays.”

Midfielders Ilkay Guendogan and Toni Kroos joined Germany’s squad on Saturday, but defender Jerome Boateng, striker Miroslav Klose and midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger could only complete light individual training on Sunday.

“Boateng has a muscle problem from Turkey. Miro is a bit better, but it’s touch and go for him on Tuesday. Schweinsteiger picked up a knock and is being handled,” Flick said.

Flick added that Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Oezil completed training after missing the Turkey game with an Achilles problem. ”It’s looking good for him … he seems a lot better than before the Turkey game,” Flick said.

Schweinsteiger said his participation remained in doubt. ”Unfortunately I don’t know if I’ll be able to play or not,” Schweinsteiger said. “I’m just a part of the team. When we play well, every player looks good. We played well in Turkey so there’s a lot of positive stuff written. But we shouldn’t get carried away.”

The 27-year-old Schweinsteiger is keen for Germany to complete qualification without dropping a point for the first time. ”We want to play well from the beginning to get our 10th win and then we can be proud of what we’ve done,” Schweinsteiger said. “The first game in Belgium was key for us. It was a hard game and it was on a knife-edge until we scored. It will be even harder on Tuesday because the Belgians want to secure a playoff place.”

Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer said Germany would not be giving its neighbor any presents. ”Our fans will be coming to the stadium to see good football. We want to give the fans a present, and not the Belgians,” Neuer said.

“The national team has never boasted so much quality. We’re solid at every position, and that goes for the substitutes bench as well. When you win matches it makes you even stronger, and that strengthens my optimism for the near future,” he said.

Neuer, 25, pulled off some remarkable saves in Friday’s 3-1 win over Turkey, only conceding a goal due to a defensive error but playing a hand in Germany’s opening goal thanks to a long punt upfield.

Despite Germany’s spotless qualifying campaign, Neuer says Joachim Loew’s side have to stay hungry — starting with Belgium on Tuesday — if they are to be seen as a formidable force at the tournament next year.

“We don’t want to show any weaknesses, and we want to keep our qualifying run as flawless as possible,” he said. ”The smallest display of weakness could have implications for us at the Euro 2012, and we can’t allow that.”