One reason every team at the World Cup can win
By Ty Finch
Group F
Germany: Duh
It’s more than possible that players like Sami Khedira, Emre Can, Mario Gotze or Leon Goretzka might not see more than a few minutes here or there for Germany in the 2018 World Cup. When you have the likes of Ilkay Gundogan, Mesut Ozil, Toni Kross and Leroy Sane, that’s just a sacrifice that has to be made. Players that are stars with their club teams and could walk onto just about every other side in this competition with little to no hesitation are asked to sit. So yeah, having some of the best players in the world come off the bench for the national team? That’s nice.
That’s also why Germany are the favorites to repeat as World Cup champions.
The last World Cup, Germany went out to face Brazil in the semifinal match in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Germany absolutely coasted to an incomprehensible 7-1 rout. Watching that game live was surreal. Here was Brazil, favorites to at least make the final, playing as hosts, and getting torn apart like Germany were playing their U-20s.
Die Mannschaft are still capable of that sort of dominance. Germany are so deep at every position, they could suffer two devastating injuries to two of their keepers and still have Bayer Leverkusen’s starting goalie come off the bench.
The most difficult decision Joachim Low is going to have to make is which fantastic, game-changing talent he needs to field in which formation. Any manager in the world would love to have that problem.