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Germany made a mistake leaving Leroy Sane off World Cup roster

By Adam Stocker

KLAGENFURT, AUSTRIA - JUNE 02: Leroy Sane of Germany runs with the ball during the International Friendly match between Austria and Germany at Woerthersee Stadion on June 2, 2018 in Klagenfurt, Austria. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)
KLAGENFURT, AUSTRIA - JUNE 02: Leroy Sane of Germany runs with the ball during the International Friendly match between Austria and Germany at Woerthersee Stadion on June 2, 2018 in Klagenfurt, Austria. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images) /
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Germany manager Joachim Low announced his World Cup roster on Monday, selecting Julian Brandt over Leroy Sane.

Germany announced their World Cup roster on June 4, 13 days ahead of their opening World Cup game against Mexico. Surprisingly, Manchester City winger Leroy Sane was left off the roster in favor of Bayer Leverkusen’s Julian Brandt.

The decision to leave Sane off the roster is a mistake. Sane’s upside is much higher than Brandt’s and he’s coming off a better season at City than Brandt had with Leverkusen. In all competitions this season, Sane scored 14 goals and added 19 assists. More importantly, Sane would have brought more speed to a German lineup that at times lacks pace. Brandt scored 12 goals this season and added seven assists.

Low’s decision likely came down to Brandt and Sane’s performances with the national team. Brandt has been more productive when given the chance. In his 15 caps, Brandt has scored a goal and added two assists, while Sane has only one assist in 12 games for Germany.

After being selected for the Euro 2016 squad, Sane seemed like a lock for Russia. However, nose surgery cost Sane a chance to play in most of Germany’s games in 2017. Had Sane been able to play, he could have strengthened his case for a spot in Russia.

Ultimately, Low is hoping the decision doesn’t factor into Germany’s performance in Russia. Borussia Dortmund’s Marco Reus will start at left wing for Low, and if Reus stays healthy, it may not matter who his replacement his. However, if Reus struggles or gets injured (not exactly out of the question), the decision to leave Sane at home will be heavily scrutinized.

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Selecting Brandt over Sane wasn’t the only surprising move by Low. Kevin Trapp was selected over Bernd Leno. The Paris Saint-German keeper had a poor season, losing his starting status and appearing in only 13 games. An argument could be made Trapp isn’t one of the seven best German keepers, let along one of the top three. Leno, who was second choice to Marc-Andre ter Stegen at last summer’s Confederations Cup and started the opening match, had a good season with Leverkusen, appearing in 38 games.

In addition to Sane and Leno, Nils Petersen and Jonathan Tah were among the final cuts. Petersen was the most surprising name on the provisional roster. The Freiburg striker scored 19 goals this season, earning his first cap in a friendly against Austria. However, Low opted for Mario Gomez’s experience. Tah, yet another Leverkusen player, was considered a long-shot to make the team. With Germany loaded at center-back, Matthias Ginter’s ability to also play full-back was likely the reason why he made the team ahead of Tah.

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