Low stays cautious, praises Klose

Germany coach Joachim Low is delighted by the consistency achieved by his side, but knows it will be impossible to carry the momentum into UEFA EURO 2012 with the tournament still seven months away. Die Nationalelf underlined their strength with a 3-0 win over the Netherlands in Hamburg last night, following on from a perfect qualification campaign for the European finals in which they won all ten of their matches. Their comfortable win over the Dutch arguably makes them second favourites for next summer's tournament behind holders Spain, and while Low was impressed by how his side rounded off 2011, he believes it will have little bearing on the shape they are in next June. The 51-year-old told the official website of the German Football Association (DFB): "Our development is very good, we have shown consistency and defeated some great teams. This consistency makes me happy. "This time we were better, but this will not necessarily be the case in half a year. Until the European Championship it will be a long six months, we only have one game to begin preparing. "Things can be different by then. If the European Championship would start tomorrow, I would be happy, then we would be in great shape." Klose praise Asked whether he was now more optimistic about the team's chances in Poland and Ukraine, Low added: "I'm as calm as before the game. We know that anything is possible. We could take on Spain or Holland in the preliminary round. We must accept whatever we get." Germany have been placed in the second pot of seeds, which means they could face Spain or the Netherlands in the group stage. Veteran striker Miroslav Klose was the star for Germany, scoring the second goal and laying on the first for Thomas Muller and the third for Mesut Ozil. Low was impressed by the Lazio forward's contribution, adding: "He always knows exactly what he needs to do to prepare and he is always there when you need him. "It is clear: as long as he has the force to continue, he is very important for the team. In the national team, he always presents himself in outstanding condition."