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After their disastrous World Cup campaign, and the shame of suffering relegation in the inaugural edition of the UEFA Nations League, it’s all change for the German national team going forward.
Last week saw boss Joachim Low make the stunning announcement that Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels and Thomas Muller – all key components of Germany’s 2014 World Cup winning side – would not be picked for Die Mannschaft again.
The move essentially marked the end of an era for Germany – as the players who took them to considerable success from 2008 through to 2017 are practically all out of the picture now. In fact, in the current squad for the fixtures against Serbia and a key Euro 2020 qualifier against the Netherlands, only 3 members of the 2014 World Cup squad remain.
Here’s a look at those 3 players – and why they remain in Low’s plans.
#1 Manuel Neuer
Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has been Germany’s #1 since the 2010 World Cup, and in the decade that’s followed he’s garnered a reputation as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of the sport.
Neuer was named as the world’s best keeper by the IFFHS for 4 years in a row between 2013 and 2016, and earned a reputation as the original “sweeper keeper” under Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich.
A key member of the 2014 World Cup winning side, Neuer conceded just 4 goals across the whole tournament, winning the Golden Gloves award as best keeper in the process. And it’s hardly a surprise that Joachim Low has kept faith in him in the years that have followed, even as Germany have slipped from their spot at the top of the international game.
Neuer was named team captain following the end of Euro 2016 and has been in the role ever since, and while the 2018 World Cup went badly for him – his mistake allowed South Korea to score their fateful second goal and seal Germany’s elimination – he remains Bayern’s #1 and appears to remain ahead of Marc-Andre Ter Stegen in Low’s pecking order for the national side too.
#2 Toni Kroos
One of the few Germany players who did impress somewhat at Russia 2018 – he scored a pretty legendary last-gasp free kick to hand Germany a victory over Sweden that kept them alive in the tournament for a short while – Toni Kroos remains in Joachim Low’s plans despite being a veteran of every major tournament since the 2010 World Cup.
At 29 he’s the same age as the axed Muller, but based on his overall skills it’s clear why Low still has faith in him.
Germany just aren’t as effective without Kroos, who pulls the strings from midfield with his impressive range of passing, his ability to find teammates and create chances, and of course his knack for scoring important goals – including 2 in the 2014 World Cup semi-final as well as that free-kick against Sweden.
With a pass success rate of 93.5% in La Liga for Real Madrid, it’s obvious to anyone that Kroos’ powers haven’t begun to wane just yet. He remains a world-class talent and thus it makes total sense that Low would want to keep him around – younger talents like Maximilian Eggestein and Julian Brandt need someone to look up to, after all.
#3 Matthias Ginter
The third remaining veteran of the 2014 World Cup in Germany’s current squad, Borussia Monchengladbach’s Matthias Ginter was just 20 during that tournament – the youngest member of Germany’s squad – and with just one international cap prior to the competition, it was no surprise that he didn’t actually play a single minute in Brazil.
Fascinatingly, Ginter also failed to make an appearance in last summer’s World Cup in Russia – making him the only player in the history of the German national side to participate in two World Cups without actually playing.
It was perhaps that lack of action that saved the defender – unlike Hummels and Boateng, he wasn’t given the chance to disgrace himself in Russia.
Since the World Cup though, Ginter has established himself as one of Low’s first-choice defenders; he’s started 5 of Germany’s 6 post-World Cup games and although he was involved in the disappointing Nations League campaign that saw Germany relegated, he’s young enough to bounce back and recover to become a key player for Die Mannschaft.
Despite not actually playing, his experience in the 2014 and 2018 World Cups could be crucial to help some of Germany’s newer players become comfortable on the international stage.
