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Over the weekend, we did a quick analysis of Germany’s roster in the Daily Schmankerl. Two of the most surprising omissions based on past selections that we identified were Borussia Dortmund’s Julian Brandt and Paris Saint-Germain’s Julian Draxler.
German national team director Oliver Bierhoff addressed the situations of Brandt, Draxler, and every other player who were left off the roster with statements that were captured by kicker.
“You can interpret that as a sign that we are not satisfied with their development. The coach only has a limited number of places available,” said Bierhoff.
Brandt and Draxler have not had standout seasons for their clubs by any means, but it was still a bit of a surprise that Joachim Löw did not call either player — who both have been consistently on the outgoing manager’s roster lists.
Bierhoff, though, did not close the book on Brandt, Draxler, or any other player.
“Of course, I hope that they can build on past performances,” Bierhoff said.
Draxler and Brandt joined Bayern Munich’s Thomas Müller and Jerome Boateng, along with BVB’s Mats Hummels on the list of players who many expected to at least be in consideration for this camp, but ultimately did not get the call.
It could easily be ascertained that Löw’s decision to call up Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz pushed Draxler and Brandt to wayside.