Germany the European power house of football is the current world champion side. They occupy the number 1 position in the FIFA ranking. They have marched to qualify for the upcoming World Cup as like the real champions. They have topped the group C of the European region. Most importantly, they didn’t lose a single point in the qualifying stage. They have registered wins in all 10 of their games in their group. There they scored 43 goals and conceded only 4 goals and it shows how dangerous they are as an opponent. The power and counter attacking football which is displayed by the Germans is adored all over the world.
Tournament History : Germany is the 4 times winner in the FIFA WC history. They have clinched the title in the 1954, 1974, 1990 and in the latest 2014 edition at the Brazil. They also occupied the runners-up position for the 4 times. They are considered as one of the most consistent teams in the tournament history and holds the second highest WC winning record along with Italy and are just behind Brazil as the Latin American giants won the historical competition 5 times.
Recent Results : In the 2016 UEFA Euro which was hosted by France, the Germans made it to the semi final but unfortunately were beaten and got knocked out from the tournament. It was a disappointing one for Joachim Low’s side. But they made a strong comeback and won the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup at the Russia and indicated that the other teams will have to work very hard to snatch the title from them.
Background story of the side and the retired players : Germany has one of the most exciting and strongest squads of the recent times. Although they appeared in the Brazil WC with their strongest squad of previous couple of decades, their squad in the Russia isn’t going to be that much weaker as one can imagine. The Germans are always a team to fear for any side and their 7 goals against a team like Brazil at their own backyard, shows how devastating and destructive they can be on their days. But they will certainly miss the likes of former captain Philipp Lahm, legendary midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, record goal scorer in the tournament history Miroslav Klose in this tournament as all 3 of them have retired from the international football after the last WC and Euro. But they still have the likes of Manuel Neuer, Mesut Ozil, Marco Reus, Julian Draxler, Mats Hummels, Toni Kroos who can change the game in between a little glimpse. The eyes will be on the young striker Timo Werner who is a terror inside the box. Thomas Muller will be the key man for the side as he is considered as a WC specialist and is the top scorer among the current players.
Possible Squad :
Goal Keepers : Manuel Neuer, Marc Andre Ter Stegen, Kevin Trapp.
Defenders : Mats Hummels, Jerome Boateng, Benedikt Howedes, Joshua Kimmich, Jonas Hector, Marvin Plattenhardt, Shkodran Mustafi, Matthias Ginter.
Mid-fielders : Toni Kroos, Sami Khedira, Mesut Ozil, Julian Draxler, Mario Gotze, Marco Reus, Leroy Sane, Ilkay Gundogan.
Forwards : Timo Werner, Thomas Muller, Mario Gomez, Andre Schurrle.
