The 2014 world champions, Germany, will begin their UEFA Nations League campaign in September against Spain and Switzerland. Manager Joachim Löw has selected his team for the fixtures and it includes some of Germany’s biggest names.
Joachim Löw Names Germany Squad for Nations Leagues Fixtures
The Squad
Goalkeepers: Kevin Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt), Bernd Leno (Arsenal), Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim)
Defenders: Robin Gosens (Atalanta), Matthias Ginter (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Thilo Kehrer (Paris Saint-Germain), Nico Schulz (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen), Robin Koch (Frieburg), Niklas Süle (Bayern Munich), Antonio Rüdiger (Chelsea)
Midfielders: Florian Neuhaus (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Julian Draxler (Paris Saint-Germain), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Julian Brandt (Borussia Dortmund), Kai Havertz (Bayer Leverkusen), Suat Serder (Schalke), Ilkay Gündogan (Manchester City), Emre Can (Borussia Dortmund)
Forwards: Timo Werner (Chelsea), Luca Waldschmidt (Benfica), Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich)
Bayern Munich Stars Absent
As promised by Löw, the majority of Bayern’s players available for national team selection were not named to the squad. Absent from the team are Manuel Neuer, Leon Goretzka, Joshua Kimmich, and Serge Gnabry. After the recent Champions League success, these players have been provided with the opportunity to rest ahead of the start of the next season.
Not all Bayern players were left off the squad. New signing Sane will be apart of the fixtures along with Süle who will be a key part of Germany’s backline.
With the aforementioned players not in the squad, Germany will not play these fixtures at their full potential. All four of the Bayern players who will be recovering from the Champions League would have certainly been in the starting 11.
Top Goalkeepers Won’t Feature
Both of Germany’s top goalkeeping options were not available for selection. Neuer would have certainly been the top option to start in the matches after his terrific performance in the Champions League. Even Germany’s second option will not be in the team. The absence of Marc-Andre ter Stegen due to knee surgery has caused Löw to go deeper into the player pool.
The starting role should be contested by Arsenal’s Leno and Frankfurt’s Trapp. Both players have previously made appearances for the senior national team. Despite not having Neuer or ter Stegen, these two options are still good goalkeepers and show the depth Germany has at the position.
Kai Havertz Among the Big Names
As the transfer saga to Chelsea continues, Havertz will be one of the key players for Germany in September. The young talent scored his first goal for Germany last October against Argentina. After another stellar season at Leverkusen, the 21-year-old appears poised to be an impactful player for Germany in international competitions to come.
Havertz’s potential new Chelsea teammate Werner is another big name to be selected. The striker arrived at Chelsea following the conclusion of the Bundesliga season. Werner will be looking to score more goals for Germany after registering two goals in six appearances in 2019.
Kroos will anchor the midfield along with Gündogan. The duo saw an earlier exit than expected in the Champions League with their respective clubs. They will both be key players during these fixtures, especially when facing Spain as they are certainly going to test Germany in the midfield.
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