The Germans put on the best display of the World Cup so far in their Group D opener and some fans will now be wondering whether captain Ballack's injury which ruled him out of the tournament has been a blessing in disguise.
Lukas Podolski, Miroslav Klose, Thomas Muller and Cacau scored the goals but the midfield dynamism offered by Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil was also key to the thumping win.
"With Ballack missing, I had to look for a solution. I was lucky that more and more players stepped up to the mark," Low told a news conference on Monday having flown back to their base from Durban in the small hours.
"With Sami Khedira, you can draw a parallel between him and a young Ballack. It seems up to now we have dealt with his absence fairly well."
'IMPORTANT PLAYER'
"Michael Ballack was an important player who has immense experience," Low added, indicating that the future of the German team lies with the fast counter-attacking and neat one-twos of his vibrant side.
"Space distribution is the key to good football. It's no use if players are clustered together.
"I would like to see offensive football, combination play and a certain culture. Combination play is not something you are born with, it has to be practised on the training pitch."
"He never slows the game down, he speeds it up and he adds fluidity to our game, slicing open the opponent's defence," Low said of Ozil.
"My work will be for him to preserve that level in the next few days and weeks."
