Van Gaal and Low positive despite boring stalemate

Nov 14, 2012 11:35:00 PM

Although goalmouth action was at a premium, the coaches were content with their teams' performances, and unanimously agreed that the friendly game was worth the time

Germany coach Joachim Low was pleased with the way his much-changed side acquitted themselves against the Netherlands after a 0-0 friendly draw at the Amsterdam ArenA on Wednesday.

The away team dominated the first half, and despite taking their foot off the gas after the break, could have won the game had Marco Reus found the target with a chance deep into stoppage time.

Despite the lack of goals, Low was happy with a solid performance after surrendering a four-goal lead in World Cup qualifying against Sweden in their last outing in October.

"For me, this was a positive game. We put in some good work defensively, which was the most important thing after our recent experiences against Sweden," Low told ARD.

"We had a changed team, with many regular missing. We played well positionally, and we were disciplined."

Low's counterpart Louis van Gaal, who had declared the Netherlands the underdogs ahead of the game, agreed that Germany played very pleasing football.

"I enjoyed the way Germany played in possession. They were quite impressive. We allowed them too much space and they took advantage of that. They didn't create many chances, though," Van Gaal said.

"We improved after the break. We didn't want to press them all over the pitch, but provocatively press them. That helped us create space for our attackers."

The Netherlands' next match is an international friendly against Italy on February 6, while Germany face France on the same day.

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