Germany will need two teams at the European Championships, head coach Joachim Low has said, and added that the 2014 World Cup winners are capable of winning the tournament in France if they can develop a new team spirit.
Germany finished on top of their Euro 2016 qualifying group ahead of Poland and Republic of Ireland, their overall record since Brazil 2014 has been far from impressive -- Germany have won nine matches, lost six and drew two of their 17 matches played after the final in Rio.
Regardless of those statistics, Germany will go into Group C with Ukraine, Poland and Northern Ireland as the favourites to come out on top. They would then play the third-placed team from group A, B or F.
Germany head coach Low believes this will lead to his team participating in two competitions. The first will be to beat defensive-minded teams, the second to be there when meeting the bigger nations during the latter stages of the tournament.
"From our perspective, there are two very different stages," Low told Suddeutsche Zeitung.
"The first will be shaped by our opponents in our group. We'd then maybe play a third-placed team from another group. Our opponents in that first stage will go into those games playing their matches of the decade, maybe even of the century. They play the World Cup winner in a big and important tournament."
Low added that, with the exception of Poland, who beat them during the qualifying stages, he expects those teams to be defensively-minded, with the priority of "destroying the German game."
"But in the second stage," Low said, "we'll maybe play Belgium, Italy, Spain. They play, and they want to win. It'll be a very different match. Bold and simple, we need two teams for this tournament. A team up until the round of 16, and then a second team."
And here is the provisional #DieMannschaft squad for #EURO2016 in full! #JederFuerJeden pic.twitter.com/XAlRuMnfFy
- Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) May 17, 2016
Right after winning the 2014 World Cup with a 1-0 defeat of Argentina in the final, three key German players retired from international football.
Captain Philipp Lahm, defender Per Mertesacker and striker Miroslav Klose all ended their Germany careers on a high, but left a void in the team's hierarchy.
"For a short time we also diagnosed a certain saturation, both physically and psychologically," Low said.
"And thus our level of play fell a bit. But now the team has changed, the new hierarchy has consolidated itself. We are strong on the footballing side anyway.
"Now it's important that we can wake the team spirit, this unconditional togetherness. And then we are capable of winning the tournament."