The buildup to Germany's World Cup campaign was fraught with worry but a 4 - 0 opening win over Portugal has raised expectations again.
Our German football regular Uli Hesse believes "everyone suddenly has belief in" Jogi Low again after a difficult two years since the Euro 2012 disappointment.
"Now he seems to have belief in this team and what he does. He's not played Podolski, he's not played Klose or Schweinsteiger and now we're back at where most people think that he knows what he is doing," said Uli.
He also reserved praise for hat-trick hero Thomas Muller describing him as a blend of the new generation and a "chip off the old block."
"He sometimes even looks like a player from the 70s. You almost expect him to roll down his socks which of course is against the rules these days," said Uli of the player who has proved to be a brilliant false 9 and won the Golden Boot from the right flank in 2010.
He also believes that Mesut Ozil did enough to win a place in the starting XI for the next game against Ghana.
But Uli still warned that realism is important given that Germany has failed late on in recent tournaments despite making strong starts, adding that Germans are fearful of falling at the semi-finals again.
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