Germany names squad for Euro 2020 qualifiers

Germany has released its squad for the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers and five current Bayern Munich players are listed. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, defender Niklas Sule, defender/midfielder Joshua Kimmich, midfielder Leon Goretzka, and forward Serge Gnabry have all earned the call-up.

The most notable omissions from the team are Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos and FC Barcelona’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who are both battling injuries. Also, Borussia Dortmund’s Mario Gotze was also left off the team after turning in an excellent Bundesliga season.

Of course, Thomas Muller, Jerome Boateng, and Mats Hummels were unceremoniously dumped by Joachim Low earlier this year and were likely not part of any roster discussions.

For a point of comparison, here is the last version of the team that played together in March:

BFW Analysis

There were some interesting — but expected — selections for this round of qualifiers as Die Mannschaft will face Belarus on June 8th and Estonia on June 11th.

Goalkeeper

Eintracht Frankfurt’s Kevin Trapp and Arsenal’s Bernd Leno were selected to back-up Manuel Neuer in lieu of Ter Stegen. Neuer is coming off of an injury himself and has consistently battled his health over the past two years. Still, the Bayern legend is expected to be healthy and ready for international play.

Midfield

One thing is clear just from how the roster was listed: Low still considers Kimmich a midfielder. Without Kroos, the tandem of Kimmich and Goretzka could both be in the starting XI, though Low may opt for Manchester City man Ilkay Gundogan.

Forwards

Offensively, Germany should have some firepower even with the exclusion of the rejuvenated and crafty Gotze. Alleged Bayern transfer targets Timo Werner (RB Leipzig) and Leroy Sane (Manchester City) will team with Gnabry, Dortmund’s Marco Reus, and Bayer Leverkusen’s Kai Havertz to give Low some intriguing options on the attack.

At this point, Low favors Julian Brandt and Paris Saint-Germain’s Julian Draxler because of his ability to move them around to various positions and it does not look as if either will be dropped from the squad again any time soon.

Defenders

Newly minted Dortmund man Nico Schulz is grouped with FC Koln’s Jonas Hector, the RB Leipzig tandem of Lukas Klostermann and Marcel Halstenberg, PSG’s Thilo Kehrer, and possibly Borussia Monchengladbach’s Matthias Ginter at outside back, where the team has a multitude of options.

Sule is expected to be the leader of the new-look defensive unit, which has integrated many new faces over the past year. Ginter, Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen), and Niklas Stark (Hertha Berlin) will all compete for playing time. Stark is listed as a defender, but his versatility is probably a big asset to Low as the 24-year-old can play as a center back or as a defensive midfielder.

Overall

The German unit has not looked dangerous in quite some time. At some point under Low, it either has to come together or the DFB will need to explore how to right the ship.