Midfield
After Ilkay Gundogan failed to make the squad following an injury, the stage is set for Sami Khedira and Toni Kroos to start in central midfield. Kroos has had a successful season with Real Madrid after winning the Champions League title and also giving Barcelona a run for their money till the final day of the Spanish La Liga title race.
His vision, ability to keep possession and ciculate the ball and his threat from set pieces will be key against defensive teams sitting back in the group stages.
Khedira has just won a league title in a third country after Juventus strolled to the Serie A title after a hiccup at the start of the season. Although Bastian Schweinsteiger is the captain after Lahm retired, his fitness would be put to the test.
The Manchester United midfielder has not played a competitive match since mid-March and whether his match sharpness is up to speed is still a question. Low would be wise to play Khedira instead, who has also scored five goals and has four assists in Serie A this season.
Mesut Ozil will simply walk into this side no matter what kind of team they play. Although he played on the left on a number of occasions, especially in the World Cup, he is best suited to the playmaker’s role in this setup.
Germany have a number of players who can play on the flank and the Arsenal midfielder’s talents are best suited to the centre with the permission to drift wide when required. 19 assists in the Premier League saw him top the European assists charts and he looks to be in sublime form after also breaking the Premier League record for most chances created in a season.
