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#3 Julian Brandt (Germany)
German coach Joachim Low made a strange but shocking decision to leave out the best young player of the Premier League - Leroy Sane out of the 23-man squad to travel to Russia.
Sane had been touted as one of the young stars to watch out for in the World Cup after his spectacular performances in Manchester City's record-breaking season and yet Low left him out citing his poor showings for Germany in the opportunities afforded to him so far.
That shocking decision came back to bite the World Champions as they slipped up against a young and energetic Mexican side where most of the players were uncharacteristically poor.
The likes of Sami Khedira, Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller were way off pace and the slowness in the attack meant that they were easy to handle. Germany looked better when direct winger Marco Reus was brought on.
Sane's replacement in the squad, Julian Brandt was brought on with just 4 minutes to play and yet looked the brightest player in the squad. He whacked the post with a well-struck shot from outside the box as Germany failed to find the equaliser.
Low rang in the changes as expected as Reus replaced a woeful Ozil in the playing eleven for the game against Sweden.
With a 10-man Germany still struggling to get past a resolute Swiss defense, Brandt was brought on, this time with just three minutes to play and again hit the ground running instantly.
He struck the post again with a beautiful shot from outside the box, making it two in two games. A special goal from Toni Kroos with just 15 seconds saw the Germans squeak past Switzerland.
One thing that was clear to see in the two games was that this German side needs more pace and that spark has been missing in Sane's absence. The next best alternative is Julian Brandt, who has looked bright in his short cameos so far.
If Germany are to put in more assured displays, they might need the pace and directness of Brandt and he will have to see more game time. Low has been brave enough to drop the likes of Ozil and Khedira from his starting eleven, and he might have to drop either of Draxler or Muller to accommodate Brandt.
Muller who has been one of Germany's stars in the previous two World Cups has been struggling for some time now and it will be interesting to see if Low drops one of his most established players to bring in the youth and exuberance of Brandt.
