Jogi Low names next international group; Boateng not included

German national team coach Joachim Löw named his squad for the upcoming international break and it will have a lot of familiar faces. There will, however, be at least one unexpected player left home; longtime stalwart and Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng.

From a Bavarian perspective, Mats Hummels and Niklas Süle are listed as defenders, while Serge Gnabry, Leon Goretzka, Joshua Kimmich, and Thomas Müller are in the midfield/forward group. Manuel Neuer, of course, is listed with the goalkeepers.

From a squad perspective, this group offers a nice combination of youth and veteran players. How the players are broken down alone indicated that Kimmich will return to the defensive midfield position for Die Mannschaft, despite the presence of players like Sebastian Rudy and Leon Goretzka, who could also potentially fill that void on the team.

Boateng quickly took to Twitter to snuff any burgeoning hot takes that his omission was the result of a drop in form. In fact, Boateng will be given the international break in an effort to let the veteran rest per his conversation with Löw.

After a very good and trusting conversation with the federal coach, we stayed so much that after a busy year for the two upcoming internationals, I get a break to continue working on my fitness in Munich. (1/2) @DFB_Team

I wish my team all the best for the games against Russia and the Netherlands thanks to the federal coach! (2/2) @DFB_Team

Real Madrid’s Kroos, meanwhile, will not report to the team until next Friday (November 16th) ensuring he has a longer time to rest after his club match against Celta Vigo on Sunday. The extra time off will cause Kroos to miss the team’s friendly against Russia on Thursday November 15th.

BFW Analysis

On the surface the roster is solid. As a group, however, the players have not proven to gel or get in sync on the pitch, which should be extremely concerning for Löw. With a friendly against Russia on November 15th, along with a UEFA National League fixture against the Netherlands on November 19th, it is likely that Low will feature two very different lineups.

As far as the composition of the roster, Löw still refuses to give Philipp Max a chance, nor has he relented to call-up Julian Weigl and give him a shot to man the “6.” The flirtation and subsequent consummation of moving Kimmich to a defensive midfield role was initially made out of necessity, but the change also removes a weapon from the team’s arsenal given Kimmich’s production and capabilities at the right back position.