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Low: Schweinsteiger's influence is growing
Posted Thursday, June 14, 2012 by Goal.com

The Germany coach believes that the midfielder is "getting better with every game" after the 2008 finalists beat the Netherlands to take another step towards the quarter-finals

Low: Schweinsteiger's influence is growing


Germany coach Joachim Low has acclaimed the growing influence of midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger after his side's 2-1 win over the Netherlands.

Schweinsteiger was the creator of both of Mario Gomez's goals for Germany as Low's men edged to victory despite a rousing second half performance from their Dutch counterparts.

Low was especially pleased with Schweinsteiger's display and believes the midfielder can have a big role to play if the Germans are to progress further in the tournament.

"Bastian Schweinsteiger is getting better with every game and is growing in influence," the coach told ZDF. "He is strong and wins a lot of duels.

"Winning the group is important so we can stay in Danzig which would help us in the quarter final."

While Low praised Schweinsteiger's individual showing, he was keen to stress the importance of a strong team performance in challenging temperatures in Kharkiv.

"I had a feeling that in the 60th minute Netherlands were out of energy," he revealed. "The temperatures were extreme. The game was competitive and intense.

"There were phases in the game in which both teams lacked the right dynamic. We wanted to take the second step today at all costs so it was important to perform well."

Standings
    Rank Team W/D/L Pts

    Cities & Stadiums

    The Top 3 Teams of Previous Tournaments

    Year Winners Runner-up Third place
    2008SpainGermanyRussia / Turkey
    2004GreecePortugalNetherlands / Czech Republic
    2000FranceItalyNetherlands / Portugal
    1996GermanyCzech RepublicFrance / England
    1992DenmarkGermanyNetherlands / Sweden
    1988NetherlandsSoviet UnionItaly / West Germany
    1984FranceSpainDenmark / Portugal
    1980West GermanyBelgiumCzechoslovakia
    1976CzechoslovakiaWest GermanyNetherlands
    1972West GermanySoviet UnionBelgium
    1968ItalyYugoslaviaEngland
    1964SpainSoviet UnionHungary
    1960Soviet UnionYugoslaviaCzechoslovakia