Germany won the European U21 Championship and the Confederations Cup last weekend, despite leaving a number of first choice players out of the latter tournament.
Joachim Low selected a young side to travel to Russia where they largely dominated their opposition, while the U21 side lost many of their squad due to Low’s decision. Nevertheless, the young German side triumphed in Poland and they look likely to be the dominant international side for many years to come.
The draw for next year’s World Cup won’t be made until December, but talk has already started as to who will be selected for Germany’s squad for the tournament next summer.
Meanwhile, England’s squad is largely predictable and if you wrote it down now, you’d be likely to correctly guess most of it. However, the Germans have so many players that they could call upon anyone to do a good job.
We’ve picked out ten German players who would likely make (and improve) England’s squad, who may not necessarily be selected by their national team next summer.
Mesut Ozil (Arsenal)
Ozil is guaranteed a spot in Germany’s World Cup squad if he remains fit, but there are a number of options that Joachim Low could deploy in midfield. Ozil has to have a good season at Arsenal, if that is where he chooses to play football next year, otherwise he could find himself warming the bench in Russia next summer.
Sami Khedira (Juventus)
Khedira has been a mainstay in the Germany team since the 2010 World Cup, but like Ozil, he could find himself under pressure to keep his place in the team next summer. Leon Goretzka was one of the young German players who really stood up at the Confederations Cup and Low could opt to deploy him alongside Toni Kroos in midfield. Other midfield options are Ilkay Gundogan, Julian Weigl and Sebastian Rudy. Such depth means that Khedira’s place in the team is no longer guaranteed.
Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)
Muller had one of the most disappointing seasons in his career so far last year, scoring just eight times in all competitions. Now 27, he faces competition from a host of youngsters including Julian Draxler, Julian Brandt, Timo Werner and Leroy Sane. It seems unthinkable that Muller would be left out of the squad, but he’ll need to return to the player that he’s known as next season.
Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund)
Reus has been cursed by injury heading into both the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016, meaning that his only international tournament is Euro 2012. He suffered an ACL injury in May and isn’t expected to return to action until 2018 at the earliest. His proneness to injury, combined with the rise of Sane and Draxler might mean he misses out on another World Cup next summer.
Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City)
Like Reus, Gundogan has also been hampered by injuries heading into major tournaments. A back problem ended his hopes of playing in the 2014 World Cup, while a knee injury kept him out of action in Euro 2016. Sebastian Rudy and Leon Goretzka are his main competition ahead of next year’s World Cup, but unlike Reus, he could play a significant amount of football ahead of the tournament.
Mario Gotze (Borussia Dortmund)
Things haven’t been easy for Gotze since he scored the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final. He struggled after moving to Bayern, barely featured at Euro 2016 and his return to Dortmund saw him diagnosed with a metabolism problem. He hasn’t returned to training since February and it’s still unknown as to how strong his push to be a part of Germany’s squad will be.
Andre Schurrle (Borussia Dortmund)
Schurrle has become something of a journeyman since leaving Chelsea in January 2015. Joining Wolfsburg from the Blues, he left for Dortmund just 18 months later and after a positive start, injuries halted him and he’s scored just five goals in 24 appearances for Dortmund. He scored twice for Germany against Azerbaijan in March, but he faces an uphill battle to keep Werner and Sane out of the squad.
Benedikt Howedes (Schalke)
Howedes played all seven matches at left back in Germany’s 2014 World Cup triumph, but his versatility may cost him in a place in next summer’s World Cup squad. Antonio Rudiger, Niklas Sule, Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels are all ahead of him in the pecking order at centre back, while Joshua Kimmich, Jonas Hector, Benjamin Heinrichs and Mitchell Weiser all offer more in the full back positions. Howedes may be relying on others to get injured if he is to play a part in next summer’s World Cup.
Emre Can (Liverpool)
Like Howedes, Can’s versatility might be his downfall when it comes to squad selection for next summer’s World Cup. He may be able to play in a number of different positions, but there are better options in all of them. Joshua Kimmich looks to be the preferred option at wing back, while Khedira, Kroos, Gundogan and Weigl are all more established in the midfield.
Mario Gomez (Wolfsburg)
Gomez didn’t play in the Confederations Cup, but his goals for Wolfsburg last season ensured that they remained in the Bundesliga. He’s scored 30 goals for Germany, but he’s now the wrong side of 30 and Low might prefer younger options like Timo Werner or Lars Stindl.
