On Thursday Hansi Flick announced his squad for the upcoming Nations League games against Hungary and England but suggested that the roster could change before the winter World Cup.
As per the report from Kicker, Flick gave his reasoning for his selection but stressed: “Everyone still has a chance to jump on the World Cup train.” This will come as good news for a number of former regular German internationals who have been left out of this time around.
Both Mats Hummels and Mario Götze are bidding for a place on the plane but haven’t quite made the grade this time. Hummels has been a constant presence in the German national team for a number of years. However, with the likes of Nico Schlotterbeck (22) and Niklas Süle (27) in the squad, it can be argued that Flick is looking towards youth.
This is further demonstrated by rewarding Armel Bella-Kotchap with his first senior call-up. The 20-year-old moved to the Premier League with Southampton this summer from Bochum and has clearly impressed Flick with his performances.
Hummels, now 33, can boast his unrelieved experience in the centre-back position. In tournament football, this is something you can’t buy and possibly something Flick will need in his squad for the World Cup.
When it comes to Götze, the former World Cup winner hasn’t been involved in the Germany squad for several years. Having moved back to the Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt, Götze is hoping that he can impress closer to home and make the plane. Similar to Hummels, Götze would bring invaluable experience which could help the team cope in progressing through the rounds.
Flick also spoke about Hummels and Götze directly. The 57-year-old praised Hummels’ performance against Manchester City in the Champions League saying he had “a great performance” and “defended top for 80 minutes.”
In terms of Götze, Flick said he has “enormous quality on the offensive“, but then added: “We also observe what Mario is doing. And he’s doing it really well. I’m very satisfied with how he’s developed in recent years.”
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