Germany is travelling to the Middle East in the winter with the goal of winning a record-tying 5th World Cup trophy in Qatar.
Only Brazil has played in more World Cups, and they last won one in 2014 against Argentina in the championship game thanks to a Mario Gotze goal in extra time. However, Die Mannschaft has struggled in both their title defence in 2018 and at Euro 2020 over the past couple of years.
In spite of this, Hansi Flick has a fantastic team to work with, and veterans like Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller will be looking to maximise the potential of the squad’s outstanding young talent.
Germany confirmed squad for the World Cup
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Kevin Trapp
Defenders: Matthias Ginter, Antonio Rudiger, Armel Bella-Kotchap, Christian Gunter, Thilo Kehrer, Lukas Klostermann, David Raum, Nico Schlotterbeck, Niklas Sule
Midfielders: Leon Goretzka, Mario Gotze, Julian Brandt, Joshua Kimmich, Ilkay Gundogan, Jonas Hofmann, Thomas Muller, Jamal Musiala
Forwards: Niclas Fullkrug, Serge Gnabry, Karim Adeyemi, Leroy Sane, Youssoufa Moukoko, Kai Havertz
Due to the injuries to a few important players, Flick’s options in the forward area have been limited. Timo Werner and Marco Reus were both disqualified from the tournament in the weeks before it started.
Florian Wirtz, a teenager, had also hoped to be healthy in time, but because his recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury was so long, he was not included in the team. Leroy Sane had a hamstring issue in October, but he thankfully overcame it and was able to make the team.
Players to watch
Thomas Muller
The European Championships annoy Thomas Muller. Despite having entered the scene in 2010, he has never scored in a Euro tournament. Thomas Muller, however, adores World Cups to the fullest. No goals were scored in 2018, but the Bayern star managed ten strikes in the two years prior combined, one of which started the infamous 7-1 rout of Brazil in the 2014 semifinals. After spending a few years away from Joachim Low’s side, he is firmly back in the starting XI.
Manuel Neuer
At 36 years old, Manuel Neuer may be getting on in years, but that doesn’t make him any less intimidating to strikers who want to blast shots past his massive frame. The sweeper keeper experienced two very different tournaments in 2014 and 2018, leading Germany to victory in Brazil and then, four years later, confirming their elimination from the group stage by giving the ball away in a 2-0 loss to South Korea. A strong performance will increase Germany’s chances of making a strong run into the elimination rounds. Bayern Munich’s captain also captains the national team.
Joshua Kimmich
Few midfielders in the world of football are better than Joshua Kimmich, whether they are defensive, holding, attacking, or any other position. Kimmich is the complete package—comfortable with the ball, fierce in defence, and gifted with an incredible eye for a pass—but he has yet to win a significant international competition. He might be ready now.
Germany won eight straight games as a result of their exit from Euro 2020. However, in 2022, they only managed to win two games while having five games end in draws due to a lack of innovation.
It’s difficult to get overly excited about their prospects this year because a few players are out due to injury and form is particularly difficult to come by. Their recent performances against Hungary and England exposed some serious flaws that Flick won’t have had enough time to fix. Although it is never a good idea to wager against Germany, it doesn’t appear that the conditions are right for a strong showing in Qatar. However, Die Mannschaft will want to improve upon their performance here to position them for success on home soil since Euro 2024 will be held in Germany.
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