New captain

It was the question vexing a nation. Ever since Philipp Lahm called it quits on his international team career shortly after the World Cup, German football fans have been wanting to know who would take over as the national team's captain. In the end, ten minutes into the pre-match press conference, ahead of the World Cup re-match between Germany and Argentina, Löw let the cat out of the bag. The new captain will be Bastian Schweinsteiger.

"I have always been able to rely on Bastian in the past," Löw said to the gathered journalists. "He has the goal of playing in the EURO 2016, and I can tell that he is motivated to perform for Germany."

"He is a legitimate replacement for Philipp. The decision was clear for me, for the next two years until the European Championships," Löw added.

Asked by a journalist at the press conference whether Bastian Schweinsteiger's injury problems may cause problems for the team, Löw remained unfazed.

"If he isn't there in a game then we have strong personalities who can take over," he said. "People like Manuel Neuer, Sami Khedira or Thomas Müller."

Löw said that Manuel Neuer would lead the team on Wednesday night (03.09.2014) against Argentina in Düsseldorf.

New assistant

Löw also used the pre-match press conference in Düsseldorf to announce his new assistant coach, Thomas Schneider, who will be joining him after the two internationals this week.

"He brings in interesting ideas, and I like his style of football," Löw said. "I also think he will fit in with us well as a person. He speaks his mind, and he has a strong personality."

Schneider, who previously worked at Bundesliga club Stuttgart, replaces Hansi Flick who has worked together with the national team since 2006.

al/slk (dpa, SID)