Loew's German reign in balance

Two months after defending champion Germany's stunning group-stage exit at the World Cup, the reign of coach Joachim Loew faces fresh scrutiny - against arguably the toughest opponent possible.

Loew's squad kicks off the new Nations League competition against reigning world champion France in Munich on Thursday night.

But while Germany's fans appear to have lost confidence in their 2014 world champs, the 58-year-old Loew is optimistic about rebooting the team after its disastrous campaign at this year's finals in Russia.