The cashmere and charm wears thin for Germany coach Joachim Löw

What a difference a few weeks make. It wasn’t long ago that Joachim Löw, with his expensive jumpers and endearing, Swabian lilt, was the envy of world football. He was the man who brought class to the classless and dragged Germany out of its darkest footballing hour since the war.

All this, of course, was before the pesky Italians worked their black magic again, and once more dumped Germany out of a major international competition. Never has the word bogey team been more appropriate than in the case of Italy when it comes to playing their German neighbours.