Joachim Low took a stroll along the beach in Sochi’s blazing sunshine on Wednesday but the heat will have felt a lot less intense for the coach than the inquest that has followed the dismal start to Germany’s defence of the World Cup.

From a crisis meeting between players and staff to growing questions over their controversial choice of training base and mounting calls for Mesut Ozil to be dropped, the fall-out from Sunday’s shock 1-0 defeat to Mexico has been brutal.

Indeed, for all the relief felt in the German squad at finally escaping their much maligned base camp in Vatutinki, 25 miles south west of central Moscow, for the tranquility of the Russian Riviera, there was simply no escaping the recriminations from the Mexico debacle.

No punches were pulled during a crisis meeting between the players, Low and Oliver Bierhoff, Germany’s general manager, on Tuesday, as they probed for answers ahead of Saturday’s crucial clash with Sweden at the Fisht Stadium on the banks of the Black Sea.

Manuel Neuer was honest enough to admit that he had never heard so many frank words exchanged during his nine years with the national team, with the prolonged internal inquiry prompting him to turn up 50 minutes late for a scheduled press conference.