The European football season has come to an end as the names of the winners have been out and the only word that comes to mind is exhilarating. Unsurprisingly, the season end brings with it a two month period of agony and suffering for football fans, who deeply miss their favourite teams in action. One thing that brings some amount of relief during this time is the FIFA Confederation Cup or simply the Confed cup.
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An extension to the Saudi Arabian King Fahd Cup, the Confed Cup is one-of-a-kind quadrennial phenomenon. It involves the forthcoming FIFA World Cup hosts take on winners from six continents as well as the defending world champions.
While the official rankings suggest Germany be the favourites, a closer look at their squad for the tournament tells the real story. Almost all the big stars have been left out either due to injury or to give them some much-needed rest. The team selected consists of young and upcoming stars who have the opportunity to showcase their skills in order to earn a place in Germany’s World Cup squad.
Note: Players like Joshua Kimmich, Jonas Hector and Julian Draxler already showcased their potential to the world to some extent at EURO 2016 and therefore are not included in the list.
#5 Niklas Sule
While people are busy speculating which big star can join Bayern Munich this summer, the one name that everyone is tending to overlook is one that has already joined the Bavarians – German centre-back Niklas Sule. Standing at 6’5”, the 21-year-old is regarded as the future of the German defence.
Considered a complete defender with the perfect blend of power and technique, Sule also possesses sharp aerial instincts. The youngster has been described as a quick-learner and has represented Germany at various levels. He was part of the Germany’s UEFA European U-17 Championship as well as the Olympics team in 2012 and 2016 respectively, both of which finished as runner’s up.
At club level, he came into limelight for his incredible performance with TSG1899 Hoffenheim as he helped them achieve a best-ever fourth place finish in the league in the recently concluded season, helping them qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
However, now a of Bayern Munich, he would need to fight for a place in the team which has names like Mat Hummels, Jerome Boateng and Javi Martinez at their disposal in the same position.
The Confed Cup gives him an opportunity to play against some of the best attackers in the world, namely Cristiano Ronaldo and Alexis Sanchez. An impressive performance at this stage can help him fill the empty spot created by the retirement of Per Mertesacker for next year's FIFA World Cup.
#4 Emre Can
Moving on from a Bayern Munich signing to a former Bayern Munich player, we now consider the case of Emre Can. Born to Turkish parents, Can had the opportunity to represent Turkey but chose the tougher task of getting into the German national setup.
Can’s versatility and technical prowess have led comparisons with German legends Michael Ballack and Bastian Schweinsteiger. But what sets him apart is his ability to function as a midfielder as well as a defender with equal ease. Although his last season with Liverpool can’t be called phenomenal, he did show glimpses of his excellence towards the latter part. His scissor kick against Watford saw him win the BBC Goal of the Season award.
Although he was part of the squad for EURO 2016, it wasn’t much of a memorable experience for him as he only got to play one match and that too in a losing cause. The Confed Cup can help Joachim Low to not only assess his strengths and weaknesses but also decide the position where he could provide maximum stability to the team.
#3 Leon Goretzka
If there is one problem the German football team has never faced, it is the absence of world class midfielders. And Leon Goretzka is on his way continue this age old tradition.
Titled by his former coach at Vfl Bochum as the ‘Talent of the Century’, his ball control and passing are highly praise-worthy. Adding up his affinity to hit powerful shots from outside the penalty box and aerial prowess aided by his tall frame, Goretzka could well end up being the perfect midfielder.
A disappointing finish in the Bundesliga and interests showed by English giants Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspurs could mean Goretzka is very likely to part ways with Schalke. And any of these clubs could provide him with the much-needed exposure that could turn him from a potential star into one that hogs the limelight in the years to come.
History proves the fact that whenever Germany has won the World Cup, there has been a midfielder pivotal to it. Be it Fritz Walter in 1954, Wolfgang Overath in 1974, Lothar Matthaus in 1990 or Toni Kroos in 2014. Could Goretzka be joining this illustrious list in 2018? Maybe his performance at the Confed Cup could help us answer this question.
#2 Julian Brandt
Moving on from central midfield to a position that quintessentially defines Germany’s attack under Joachim Low, the attacking midfield. The 2014 World Cup witnessed a German team that had the liberty to choose from a wide range of world-class attacking midfielders that included Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil, Andre Schurrle, Mario Goetze, Lucas Podolski and a young Julian Draxler. One name that seems very likely to join this list for the next world cup is Julian Brandt.
A player with frightening speed and an exquisite first touch, Brandt has been called as ‘One of the most talented players in Bundesliga’ by none other than the legendary Rudi Voller. He has the world at his disposal with footballing giants like Liverpool and Bayern Munich reportedly making him a top priority.
But he rather wishes to stay at Leverkusen even after a disappointing season which saw them finish 12th in the league. His decision is understandable as he wishes to play as many games as possible in order to maximise his chances of representing Germany in FIFA World Cup 2018, something which he did in the 2014 UEFA European U-19 Championship and 2016 Rio Olympics very successfully.
Primarily operating as a left winger or attacking midfielder, Brandt faces a tough fight for the spot from more decorated names like Marco Reus, Andre Schurrle and Julian Draxler. But a stellar performance at the Confed Cup could really give a boost to his chances.
#1 Timo Werner
How often have you seen clubs break their transfer record for a 20-year-old? Maybe never! But such was the case of Timo Werner who made RB Leipzig spend €10 million for a young striker. And his debut season with the club proved how vindicated their decision was
Like most of the upcoming talents on this list, Werner has quick feet and marvellous technical ability. But what sets him apart from the rest is his prowess in making perfectly timed runs, that too at such a young age. A recipient of the Fritz Walter Medal at both the U17 as well U19 level, he is also the youngest player to ever play in an official match for VfB Stuttgart.
While it was Naby Keita and Emil Forsberg who garnered the most praise for RB Leipzig finishing up as runners-up in the league, Werner’s goalscoring ability was simply too good to be ignored. 21 goals in 31 league matches meant that he finished 4th on the Bundesliga top scorer’s list, five ahead of the next best German player.
Now there is no secret in the fact that Germany is in a dire need of a striker since Miroslav Klose retired. For a team that wishes to defend their world champions tag successfully, Germany is overdependent on a 31-year-old Mario Gomez. Looking at this situation, Timo Werner must be licking his chops for he seems the perfect solution to his team’s problems.
