Somewhere in his mind’s eye, Germany’s manager Joachim Low has not one, not two, but three World Cup-winning squads ready to take on the defence of football’s most coveted title next year.
A couple of those Germanys might win two, even three future World Cups by the end of the next decade, if Low dares turn up the optimism filter in his imagination to full beam.
The Germany manager has in various quarters been praised for his boldness in selecting a squad that is young, and relatively inexperienced at senior international level for the Confederations Cup, where the world champions begin Monday with an Group B encounter with Australia. Somewhere, perhaps at an exclusive, secluded, holiday destination, the likes of Manuel Neuer, Mats Hummels, Jerome Boateng, Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller will watch how this experimental Germany fares without them with curiosity.
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Low will also hope these heroes of German football, rested from duty in Russia this month, will also have watched the country’s Under 21s embark on their Uefa U21 tournament campaign with the same interest yesterday.
Of the squad Low picked for Russia, a full eleven might just as easily be performing in Poland with the U21s, which gives an indication of how youthful the squad selected for the Confeds Cup is, and also how much faith the German Football Federation have in the breadth of talent available to them.
By “resting” his senior men, Low effectively signalled to Stefan Kuntz, the U21 coach that he would be raiding Kuntz’s cupboard for the Confeds Cup. His message was that the strategy would benefit both to do so, spreading opportunity, meaning Kuntz had to delve deep because the tournaments are running simultaneously.
The withdrawal with injury of Manchester City’s Leroy Sane, 21, from the Confeds Cup squad has deprived Low of a little dash from his forward line, but if Australia expect this Germany to look callow and timid, they should beware. The Confeds Cup cadre were given a run-out earlier this month in the World Cup qualifier against San Marino, and won 7-0. There were debut international goals for Julian Brandt, the 21-year-old Bayer Leverkusen tyro, and for Amin Younes, part of the Ajax team who reached the Europa League final.
Sandro Wagner, at centre-forward, struck a hat-trick against San Marino. He, at 29, is one of the older hands in the squad assembled in Sochi, and if international recognition has come late to him, the Hoffenheim centre-forward has a strong sense he has the qualities to fill one of the few roles where Low does not have an abundance of choice. Since Miroslav Klose, the enduring veteran, retired after Germany had lifted the 2014 World Cup, the search has been ongoing to find a striker with orthodox poacher and target-man skills, to compliment the many creators – such as Ozil, Muller, Julian Draxler, Marco Reus – who like to play just behind the No 9 spot. Wagner may be that man.
Draxler will captain Germany in Russia. The 23-year-old winger, who joined Paris Saint-Germain in January, says he is “honoured” to do so, and for Draxler these weeks are an opportunity to cement for himself a berth in the most competitive area, attacking midfield, in the German jigsaw. There are points to be made too by the likes of Joshua Kimmich, the Bayern full-back or midfielder keen to put his case as successor to the retired Philipp Lahm.
Antonio Rudiger, the defender, meanwhile articulately made his own point about what everybody hopes not to see or hear during the tournament. Rudiger has experienced racist jeering during his time in Italian football with Roma and Russia, which has had its well-documented problems with racial abuse in football stadiums, is under scrutiny a year ahead of its hosting the World Cup. “This sort of behaviour should not be happening in 2017,” Rudiger said.
Germany, four-time World Cup winners, three of those as West Germany, have never won a Confeds Cup. To do so now, with so many of their first-teamers left behind, would throw down a powerful gauntlet, declare that they have a first-class batch of second-string footballers. "Our first priority here," said Oliver Bierhoff, the team's general manager, "is development of the squad. The second priority is to win the tournament."
No pressure then? This is Germany. Man for man, they will be feeling pressure to prove themselves.
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