JOACHIM LOEW is fairly certain of the challenge that awaits his team at Hampden on Monday.

It will be the exactly the same test Germany will be confronted with at home to Poland three days earlier.

Loew firmly believes both of his Group D rivals will attempt to nullify his nation's classy performers players with an agricultural approach.

But, the World Cup winning manager is adamant he will not be drawn into a war against their Group D rivals.

Meeting fire has never been the cultured German manager's style and while he is expecting a rough ride in Frankfurt and Glasgow he will not be deserting the flair and flamboyance which carried his team to glory in Brazil.

He said: “The development of the game has been rapid in recent years. Otherwise we would still be measuring all things against Brazil.

“You can have the greatest individual talents, but that alone is not enough. Other nations have made major steps forward.

“Ninety per cent of teams we play are physically strong, tactically well trained and defensively organised excellently.

“The first intention is to defend and destroy the game.

“In most games, it’s so that we are facing a wall. Therefore, our progress must be to find offensive solutions.

“Using a crowbar would be the worst thing you could do.

“This is precisely the challenge: not to use force, but to make the game itself. There are only a few big clubs and countries in a position to do this and it is what makes home games an ordeal for some teams.

“Great teams look forward to this. And that’s our philosophy. We want to have the ball. We want to act.”

In the 14 months since taking the World Cup by storm Germany have failed to match the dizzy heights of Brazil where the annihilated the hosts 7-1 in the semis before overcoming their South American cousins, Argentina, in the final.

They have been more perfunctory than perfect of late with Low acutely aware they must quickly rediscover their mojo if they are to lockdown one of the two guaranteed places at next summer's European Championships in France.

Yet, by the same token the dip has not come as any great surprise to the manager, whose main priority is the defence of the Coup de Monde.

He said: “The European Championship in France is a major goal for us. But our thoughts go already beyond. In all plans, we have the World Cup 2018 in mind, the mission is to defend our title.

“We made a plan after Brazil that’s not just up to the European Championship, but the four years until 2018.

“We were even thinking then about which players would defend the title? Where is the football? What we need to do training in education? What types of players do we need?

“Last year we did not play like world champions, clearly.

“There were many causes for it, but actually I had also expected it.

“I remember I said on the evening of the Final in Rio to our president Wolfgang Niersbach: 'It’s all super nice, and we can be very happy, but we are facing a difficult year.'

“The voltage will drop after all the emotional pressure that I’ve noticed in myself.

“Maybe the hunger for success is initially no longer so pronounced.

“Therefore, in terms of points, we are a bit behind schedule. But I now have a much better feeling than after the previous summer.

“The goal is to win both games. We know what is at stake.

“I don’t have to do anything special to come up, the situation alone already delivers the speech.

“I’ve know many players of my team for many years and I know that for games like the one against Poland and Scotland, they are extremely motivated.”

Regardless of what else he achieves in football Low's career will always be defined by the events in the Maracana last July. Germany's impressive triumph elevated him to superstardom status in his homeland although for the reluctant hero it is all about the memories rather than the medals.

He added: “I presented my winner's medal to my godchild.

“The medals are in good hands. Such things, cups, trophies, medals, have for me no particular value.

“For me, more important are the memories that stay in my head and in my heart, I have my images stored.

“They come to me spontaneously and sporadically, not controlled, sometimes in conversations.

“What gives me greatest pleasure is the 7-1 against Brazil. Not the game, but what happened after that.

“As we passed Brazilians on our way home, they were on the road and celebrated us.

“In a country like Brazil, where football means so much, this was incredible respect.

“I could not believe it, because I really had tears in my eyes.”