Four-time winners Germany underwent managerial overhaul after dismal FIFA 2018 World Cup and EURO 2020 campaigns, where they managed only 2 wins across 6 group games. While they made it to the Round of 16 at the EUROs, the 2018 World Cup was a disastrous tournament for them where they entered as defending champions, and exited in the group stage itself.
However, Flick is now looking to revive the Die Mannschaft’s lost glory in his debut World Cup as their manager. He so far has had turbulent stint with Germany, but has them playing some solid football under him. Flick will face a first real test with his team now in Qatar, as he will want to put his best foot forward, starting with a perfectly balanced squad of 26 players, with the following options to choose from.
Germany World Cup Squad – The players in contention
Goalkeepers
This will definitely be Manuel Neur’s ultimate appearance at a World Cup for Germany, and is expected to start in goal, also captaining his side. However, this will come as a disappointing news for Barcelona shot-stopper Marc-Andre ter Stegen who has been in decent form, keeping 11 clean-sheets in 13 league games, more than any of his counterparts across Europe’s top-five leagues.
| Name | Club |
|---|---|
|
Manuel Neur |
Bayern Munich |
| Kevin Trapp |
Eintracht Frankfurt |
|
Marc-Andre ter Stegen |
Barcelona |
| Oliver Baumann |
Hoffenheim |
|
Bernd Leno |
Fulham |
Defenders
With Real Madrid’s Antonio Rudiger almost certain to be one of the first names on the team-sheet, Flick needs to decide who partners him in the center of the defense. Dortmund duo Niklas Sule and Nico Schlotterbeck are the frontrunners to occupy the remaining spot, with Thilo Kehrer and David Raum the main options on the flanks, with the likes of Benjamin Henrichs and Robin Gosens as bench options.
| Name | Club |
|---|---|
|
Antonio Rudiger |
Real Madrid |
|
Mats Hummels |
Dortmund |
| David Raum |
RB Leipzig |
|
Matthias Ginter |
SC Freiburg |
| Thilo Kehrer |
West Ham |
|
Niklas Sule |
Dortmund |
| Benjamin Henrichs |
RB Leipzig |
|
Armel Bella-Kotchap |
Southampton |
| Robin Gosens |
Inter |
|
Nico Schlotterbeck |
Dortmund |
| Lukas Klostermann |
RB Leipzig |
|
Jonathan Tah |
Bayer Leverkusen |
|
Robin Koch |
Leeds United |
|
Christian Gunter |
SC Freiburg |
| Ridle Baku |
Wolfsburg |
Midfielders
Germany are known to have a calm and composed midfield which has helped them dominate the game for years. Toni Kroos and Bastian Schweinsteiger were the pillars of their midfield for the past decade, with the torch now being passed over to the next generation of Joshua Kimmich and Jamal Musiala. Their Bayern teammate Leon Goretzka too will fight for a starting spot, with Man City hero from last season Ilkay Gundogan, Dortmund’s Julian Brandt and the ever-present Julian Draxler who is out on loan at Benfica, available as well.
| Name | Club |
|---|---|
|
Joshua Kimmich |
Bayern Munich |
| Jonas Hofmann |
RB Leipzig |
|
Maximilian Arnold |
Wolfsburg |
| Jamal Musiala |
Bayern Munich |
|
Ilkay Gundogan |
Manchester City |
| Leon Goretzka |
Bayern Munich |
|
Julian Brandt |
Dortmund |
| Anton Stach |
Mainz |
|
Julian Draxler |
Benfica |
| Florian Neuhaus |
Mochengladbach |
|
Julian Weigl |
Mochengladbach |
| Florian Witz |
Bayer Leverkusen |
Forwards
Flick has a plethora of options up front, with Bayern trio Thomas Muller, Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane the most likely to get the nod ahead of their compatriots. Chelsea’s Kai Havertz is another name who will certainly make the final cut alongside Marco Reus of Dortmund. Emerging young talents in Karim Adeyemi, Lukas Nmecha and Youssoufa Moukoko will also be hopeful of traveling with the squad for their debut World Cup.
| Name | Club |
|---|---|
|
Marco Reus |
Dortmund |
| Kai Havertz |
Chelsea |
|
Serge Gnabry |
Bayern Munich |
| Lukas Nmecha |
Wolfsburg |
|
Thomas Muller |
Bayern Munich |
| Leroy Sane |
Bayern Munich |
|
Karim Adeyemi |
Dortmund |
|
Jonathan Burkardt |
Mainz |
| Youssoufa Moukoko |
Dortmund |
The Probable Squad
Manuel Neuer, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Kevin Trapp, Antonio Rudiger, Mats Hummels, Niklas Sule, Nico Schlotterbeck, Robin Gosens, Thilo Kehrer, David Raum, Benjamin Henrichs, Jonathan Tah, Armel Bella-Kotchap, Joshua Kimmich, Jamal Musiala, Ilkay Gundogan, Leon Goretzka, Julian Brandt, Florian Witz, Jonas Hofmann, Marco Reus, Kai Havertz, Serge Gnabry, Thomas Muller, Leroy Sane, Karim Adeyemi
Strongest XI [4-2-3-1]
Neuer; Kehrer, Sule, Rudiger, Raum; Kimmich, Gundogan; Gnabry, Muller, Sane; Havertz