Hansi Flick lauds FC Koln’s Anthony Modeste, says Jonas Hector no longer an option for Germany

Albeit against more favorable opponents in World Cup qualifying during the last international break, Hansi Flick got his reign as German national team manager off to a flying start. Wins against Liechtenstein, Armenia, and Iceland solidified Die Mannschaft’s place at the top of UEFA qualifying group J, impressively outscoring their trio of opponents by 12 goals to 0.

In addition to the usual Bayern Munich contingent in the Germany roster, Flick also made the decision to callup Ridle Baku, Karim Adeyemi, and David Raum, which is something Joachim Low had not done. It’s clear that he plans on bringing in some different personnel during international breaks to give Die Mannschaft some different looks a little over a year out from the start of World Cup 2022 in Qatar. While neither will be playing a part for Germany in the future, Flick had high praises for both Jonas Hector and Anthony Modeste for some of their recent performances for FC Koln.

“Jonas [Hector] has made a very good impression in the past few weeks. I also know that he is very highly regarded in Cologne because of his style and style of play. But the topic is not currently a problem for me,” Flick said of Koln’s captain on an appearance on The Express after their 1-1 draw with RB Leipzig on Sunday (Sport1). Unfortunately for Flick and Germany, Hector has already announced his official retirement from international football, but Flick insists their is a current crop of players showing plenty of promise on the left side of defense.

“Of course we’re always looking to see what we can change. But Robin Gosens is doing well in his position, David Raum has again shown a good performance, Thilo Kehrer is versatile,” Flick explained of the left back spot, which is where Hector most often plays, though he can also play as a midfielder.

In the Bundesliga this season, Anthony Modeste has already scored four goals and has provided one assist. Unfortunately for Flick, he’s French, but it’s that type of striker that Flick admires and would like to have in the roster for Die Mannschaft. “Suddenly he shows a completely different charisma. Anthony shows total passion, I like that very much,” Flick said.

It’s safe to say Germany still really doesn’t have a natural number 9 in their ranks. Rather, they have a plethora of attacking midfielders and center forwards. When looking for strikers, Flick can model his preferences based off of the positive characteristics he currently sees in Modeste.