World Cup squad
January 7, 2010
Somewhere in Joachim Loew's office, probably under lock and key, is a scrawled list of names. Right now, it's just a guide. But as the summer of 2010 gets closer, Loew will soon have to make 23 choices. This final list will be Germany's squad for the World Cup in South Africa.
Loew still has a few months to put the players through their paces before deciding who will be printed out on pristine DFB-headed paper and sent off to FIFA headquarters. The likely candidates are the stalwart members of the Germany squads that made it to the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup and the final of Euro 2008.
Safe bets
If injury doesn't claim him before June, Germany captain Michael Ballack can safely start planning for his third World Cup. The Chelsea midfielder is prospering under new coach Carlo Ancelotti, and while he will be nearing his 34th birthday by the time Germany fly to South Africa, Ballack's experience and leadership will prove invaluable if Jogi Loew does what many expect and peppers his squad with young stars. The captain may not be the driving force he once was, but his more settled and intelligent approach of recent seasons will aid those flyers around him.
Some might consider Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski to be contemporaries of Ballack, as both have clocked up a wealth of international experience since breaking into the senior team. But the two are still only 25 and 24 respectively (Podolski will turn 25 during the World Cup). The 2006 tournament on home soil saw the dynamic duo explode onto the World Cup scene. When Germany labored to the final of Euro 2008, Schweini and Poldi were among the most consistent and lively. Podolski's trials at his beloved Cologne this season are unlikely to prevent him from being picked for South Africa as he remains one of Germany's most dangerous attacking threats. Schweinsteiger will almost certainly fly to the World Cup as one of Germany's most creative midfielders.
Experience and reliability a must for defensive picks
Germany's defensive options, as well-tuned as a Mercedes, will undoubtedly feature the ever-consistent and reliable Philipp Lahm, the rangy and combative Per Mertesacker and the composed and intelligent Arne Friedrich. Lahm is still considered to be one of the world's best wingbacks and rarely has a bad game for either club or country. Mertesacker is the type of defender forwards hate to play against: all legs and elbows, with a towering aerial presence. Friedrich, despite captaining basement club Hertha Berlin, is still a class act, and his experience alone will earn him a ticket.
Behind these shoe-ins lies one of three dominant German keepers. After the loss of Robert Enke, the Number 1 jersey is up for grabs. Bayer Leverkusen's Rene Adler, Manuel Neuer of Schalke 04 and Werder Bremen's Tim Wiese are the men battling for the role between the posts. All three will fly to South Africa, but Adler may just be ahead of the other two in terms of who starts the first game.
Young Bremen playmaker set for first World Cup
In the midfield, Loew will surely hand Werder Bremen's Mesut Oezil his first World Cup finals berth. While Michael Ballack may be the fire in Germany's belly, Oezil will be the spark. In a team lacking star power and low on inventiveness, the Bremen playmaker is likely to be given the chance to shine on the world stage. A magnificent season to date will be enough to complete Simon Rolfes' full international rehabilitation as the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder wins a call-up to his first World Cup squad after a period of exclusion. Thomas Hitzlsperger is the most likely to be handed the strongman role. The Stuttgart midfielder may edge out stalwart Torsten Frings, despite his desperate form so far this season.
Another player who is likely to get the nod despite a stuttering season is Miroslav Klose. The Bayern Munich striker has been off-color of late, but any coach who would leave a World Cup Golden Boot winner behind would do so at his peril. Klose knows World Cups and how to score at them. Having a striker of his pedigree in the squad will be a must.
He is likely to be joined in attack by Bayern team mate Mario Gomez. After experiencing a long barren spell as Germany's main striker when he first came into the squad in 2007, the non-striking striker has since found his scoring boots. He seems to have more confidence at Bayern these days, and this has been reflected in his recent international performances.
Solid squad members sweat over World Cup places
The rest of the squad will be made up of floating players, some more buoyant than others. Loew has put an emphasis on youth, which means Hamburg defender Jerome Boateng will likely be rewarded for a strong start to his HSV career with a World Cup ticket. Hoffenheim's Andreas Beck, VfL Wolfsburg's Marcel Schaefer, Serdar Tasci from VfB Stuttgart and Schalke's Heiko Westermann could also join him on the plane.
Hamburg's Piotr Trochowski would be a good bet to join the ranks of midfielders heading to South Africa after a good season in the north and some strong performances in the World Cup qualifiers. He could be joined by Christian Gentner from VfL Wolfsburg, Stuttgart's Sami Khedira and Werder Bremen's Marko Marin. Outside bets for a midfield spot could include Bayern's young attacking midfielder Thomas Mueller and Leverkusen's Toni Kroos.
Striking options to lead to surprise inclusion?
If he continues the rich vein of form he has tapped with Bayer Leverkusen, Stefan Kiessling would be a handy attacker to have in South Africa. This has been his finest season to date, and if he carries on knocking them in, Kiessling could add to the three caps he has for the senior Germany team at the World Cup. He could even break his international duck there. Stuttgart's Brazilian-born striker Cacau could also be a back-up striker after being brought into the Germany fold in 2009. His four mainly cameo roles could be expanded upon this summer.
One huge surprise could come in the return of banished forward Kevin Kuranyi. The Schalke striker walked out on Germany in 2008 and has not played for the national team since, with Loew stating that he would never pick the sulky star again. This season, however, Kuranyi's form may change Jogi's mind. A player who has hit 30 or more goals a season for the past four years, Kuranyi has 16 to his name already. Could reconciliation be in the cards should Germany's striking options become reduced?
Author: Nick Amies
Editor: Trinity Hartman