Kroos and a great ‘9’, the ones that are missed from Germany in the World Cup

On June 13, 2014, Germany lifted its fourth world Cup. Everything was joy and happiness. There was much talk of a project that was finally bearing fruit. However, eight years later the German team ceased to be a world giant and in Qatar 2022 They are doing math so as not to be eliminated in the first phase, as happened in Russia 2018.

The equality against Spain makes them depend on themselves to get to the round of 16. That does not leave aside the version that has been showing in this tournament. Gone are the years where Germany had built a solid base, under which several stars passed. Currently this has been set aside and today its performance depends on the performance of its figures separately.

Without Kroos there is no party

In mid-2021, Joachim Low decided to step aside and leave the German technical direction after 15 years after being left out of the Eurocup. A successful cycle that reached its peak with the obtaining of the world title. In replacement came Hansi Flick who had just won everything with Bayern Munich, standing out in the Champions League in just two seasons.

The young strategist has taken a heavy blow since he took office. Like Low, Toni Kroos also closed his stage in the German team. The Real Madrid man announced that he withdrew it from him and left a void in the midfield that Flick could not fill in more than a year.

A deck of names appeared on the radar that gave the German fans peace of mind: Leon Goretzka, Joshua Kimmich, Ilkay Gundogan. Footballers whose talent cannot be discussed, but who have not yet been able to connect and guide the reins of ‘Die Mannschaft’. Of course, the man from Manchester City is the one who has stood out more than the members of Bayern Munich.

Generational change and the ‘9’ on the way

Of the team that reached glory in Brazil 2014, there are only four players left in the current squad. They are Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer, Mario Gotze and Matthias Ginter. The list that Flick presented for Qatar 2022 gave our impressions of the generational change that he raised, having an average age of 26.7 years. He chose to give space and prominence to promising youngsters like Jamal Musiala, David Raum, Nico Schlotterbeck and Youssoufa Moukoko.

With 16 goals, Miroslav Klose is the top scorer in World Cup history. After he left his team (2014) it has still not been possible to find a man from the area that is this lethal. For this occasion, Flink opted for Niclas Fullkrug’s striker, who scored the equalizer against Spain and who seems to be the best prospect.