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The German National team is one of the most efficient footballing units, consistently displaying top-notch performances on the international stage with their fluid football and marauding tenacity. Die Mannschaft or 'The Team' as they are referred to are as strong as ever going into the World Cup at Russia. The defending champions would look to consolidate their grip on the trophy once again with pundits rating them as the team to beat already.
With experienced internationals and their strong Bayern core, Germany are a cohesive unit and with several of their stars in brilliant form at their clubs, Joachim Low will be presented with a daunting task of whittling his pool of players down to a final 23 man squad.
This slideshow aims at identifying some members from the World Cup-winning squad of 2014, who as things stand, have a very slim chance of making the final 23 man squad.
Note: This does not include the players who retired post the World Cup in 2014 (Phillip Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Miroslav Klose, Lucas Podolski etc).
#5. Kevin Grosskreutz
Borussia Dortmund's Mr. Versatile during his tenure at the club, Kevin Grosskreutz is a reliable player who could fill in at multiple positions and was an important part of Jurgen Klopp's Borussia Dortmund squad that made it to the Champions League Final in 2013. His impressive performances at Dortmund earned him his first German national team call-up in 2010, he went on to make his first appearance in a friendly against Malta.
His good spell of domestic form continued with Dortmund's rise under Klopp and he was named in the final German squad for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Although he didn't make an appearance in the tournament, Grosskreutz was touted to be a regular following the retirement of multiple senior players after the successful World Cup campaign.
However, his form has dipped significant and he was even dropped down to the Borussia Dortmund II side for a period of 5 months. This was the catalyst his move away from his beloved Dortmund. His move to Galatasaray also didn't fare well as he returned to the Bundesliga in January 2016, after failing to register a single appearance for Galatasaray. Currently on the books for SV Darmstadt in the German second tier, Grosskreutz looks like he will never make a German national team appearance ever again. What a sad turn of fate in a career that looked ever so promising.
#4. Erik Durm
The baby-faced full-back made his name at Klopp's Dortmund after coming through the ranks at Mainz. Pacey and explosive, Durm was phenomenal and played a crucial part in Dortmund's domestic and European success in the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons. His good run of form led to him making his first appearance for the German National team in their last game prior to naming the final squad for the World Cup, a squad he was subsequently included in, just a day after making his national team debut.
Durm was an unused substitute in all the games during the course of the World Cup. He provided competition to Benedikt Howedes, Phillip Lahm and Mathias Ginter for the full-back slots. Capable of playing on both flanks, Durm is a predominantly an attacking full-back who can tear down the flanks and is a decent crosser of the ball.
Considering the fact that all seven of his appearances for Germany came during the 2014 calendar year, Durm stands a very low chance of making the cut for the 2018 World Cup. He has fallen down the pecking order at Dortmund too with Dan-Axel Zagadou, Raphael Guerreiro, Jeremy Toljan and Marcel Schmelzer all above him in Peter Stoger's list.
#3. Christoph Kramer
The surprise inclusion in the starting 11 for the World Cup final against Argentina, Christoph Kramer was a relatively unknown player who had been performing really well domestically for Borussia Monchengladbach and had made a name for himself in Germany for his sensible play and good reading of the game from a central midfield position. A product of the famous Bayer Leverkusen academy, Kramer was sent on loan to Gladbach, in what was a very productive spell for both club and player.
His World Cup final appearance ended in prematurley as he was forced off with concussion, he was replaced by Andre Schurrle during the first half of the game.
Following the World Cup, Kramer was called up on multiple occasions and made another seven appearances for the German National team, but with his last appearance coming in early 2016, there is reason to believe that Kramer might not make the final German squad that will go to Russia. Kramer will also be affected by the fact that several young players have earned call-ups in his position over the last year, such as Sebastian Rudy, Kerim Demirbay, and Leon Goretzka, all of whom have been solid over the past couple of years.
#2. Andre Schurrle
Provider of the match-winning assist in the World Cup final against Argentina last time out, Andre Schurrle is a seasoned German international who has made 57 appearances, scoring 22 goals in the process. The Borussia Dortmund speedster was one of Germany's key attacking forces in the previous World Cup, scoring three and assisting another three in the tournament. Often introduced as a substitute to provide sting to their counter-attacks with his pace, Schurrle has been a useful asset for Joachim Low, but it looks like his time at the top is running out.
Following his return to the Bundesliga in 2015, Schurrle has looked a shadow of his former self, with his end product not up to the standards that he himself had earlier set. His move to Dortmund looked like a match made in heaven, but the move has been anything but a success. Having scored only twice in the league in 17 appearances, Schurrle's time with the national team has also reduced considerably with him only making two appearances in 2017 in comparison to six and seven in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
Schurrle will be looking to turn a fresh corner and to improve his performances in 2018. Time is running out for Schurrle to make amends with Leroy Sane and Julian Draxler providing him stiff competition in his chase for a National team spot in time for the World Cup.
#1. Mario Gotze
The Golden Boy of German football, great things were expected of Mario Gotze and his rise from the Dortmund youth academy to first team success was one of the most exciting and promising sights German football has seen in a long time. Touted to be the next global superstar from Germany, Gotze made the shocking switch to Bavarian rivals Bayern and his career took a downward slope from there on.
His talent was never doubted, but his inability to adapt to Pep Guardiola's demands as well as a string of injury problems marked the beginning of the young Germans slump. Frustration grew as he failed to make the cut at Guardiola's Bayern and doubts started forming about his ability. He had a mixed first season, but he had Joachim Low's faith and he made the World Cup squad and went on to score the goal that won Germany the World Cup with just eight minutes left in extra-time, in the final.
His return to club football marked the beginning of a very frustrating period with frequent injuries further putting a halt to his career development at Bayern. Finally, in the summer of 2016, he made his return to his boyhood club, Borussia Dortmund, looking to rebuild his reputation. But bad luck followed Gotze. Analysed with a metabolic disorder, Gotze was sidelined for an indefinite period.
He made his return in July 2017 and has been playing reasonably well since, but with Dortmund not being able to churn out results in the League and Europe, Gotze might be overlooked for the World Cup considering the fact that Germany have a such an array of talent to pick from. There are multiple players who play in Gotze's role, performing incredibly well across Europe.
Will the Man of the Match of the 2014 World Cup Final make it to Russia 2018?
