Germany's failure to beat France in the semifinal of the European Championship exposes its lack of strength in depth with young players failing to bridge a generation gap after its World Cup win. Left back Philipp Lahm, central defender Per Mertesacker and record goal-scorer Miroslav Klose all retired after Germany's 2014 World Cup win in Brazil, leading to a noticeable drop in the side's quality, evident from the very first qualifying games for Euro 2016. A hard-fought win over Scotland was followed by defeat to Poland and then a draw at home with Ireland, which also managed to beat Joachim Loew's side in Dublin a year later. More...