German national team coach Joachim Löw has named his 30-man provisional squad ahead of Thursday’s FIFA deadline and Friday’s Nationalmannschaft friendly against Malta.
Joachim Low Names Germany’s Provisional Squad
The most notable omission was that of midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger, who moved in January from Stuttgart (in the German Bundesliga) to Lazio (in the Italian Serie A). Hitzlsperger has 51 caps, was a fixture in qualifying, and was with the team at the 2006 World Cup and the 2008 European Championships.
Löw described the choice as forced by Hitzlsperger’s lack of playing time in Italy:
”It was hard for us because Thomas Hitzlsperger has always been with us in recent years and has contributed to us qualifying.
“I told him in the winter that it was really important that he got match practice and to carefully consider which club he chose to move to, but it didn’t work out for whatever reason.”
Other notable omissions are midfielders Simon Rolfes and Aaron Hunt along with goalkeeper René Adler, who was named Germany’s number one goalkeeper at the end of qualifying but will miss the World Cup with a rib injury.
Löw has yet to name a starting goalkeeper from his three selected: Bayern Munich’s Hans-Jörg Bütt, Schalke’s Manuel Neuer and Werder Bremen’s Tim Weise.
The defense will feature star wing back Philipp Lahm as well as veterans Per Mertesacker and Arne Freidrich. Marcell Jansen has made a recovery from an ankle injury to be included in the squad, while Heiko Westerman is currently slated to start in central defense. Other defenders include Serder Tasci, Andreas Beck, Jerome Boateng and two uncapped players: Holder Badstuber and Dennis Aogo.
The midfield is led by captain Michael Ballack but also features national team fixtures Baorstian Schweinsteiger and Piotr Trochowski. Beyond that trio, the German midfield aspirants are all 23-years-old and younger: Mesut Özil, Marko Marin, Sami Khedira, Toni Kroos and Christian Träsch.
At forward, Stuttgart striker Cacau is the surprise inclusion, while Stefan Keißling and Thomas Müller, both with little experience in the national team, secured their spot in the provisional squad. They will join Miroslav Klöse, Lukas Podolski and Mario Gómez.
A number of German players will miss the Malta friendly with club commitments. Michael Ballack stays with Chelsea ahead of the FA Cup final. Bayern Munich players (Bütt, Lahm, Badstuber, Schweinsteiger, Müller, Gómez, Klöse) are preparing for the DFB-Pokal and Champions League finals, with Werder Bremen players (Wiese, Mertesacker, Özil, Marin) ready themselves for the domestic cup final.
German National Team Provisional Squad
Goalkeepers
Hans-Jörge Bütt (Bayern Munich)
Manuel Neuer (Schalke)
Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
Defenders
Dennis Aogo (Hamburger SV)
Holger Badstuber (Bayern Munich)
Andreas Beck (Hoffenheim)
Jerome Boateng (Hamburger SV)
Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich)
Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen)
Serder Tasci (Stuttgart)
Heiko Westermann (Schalke)
Midfielders
Michael Ballack (Chelsea)
Sami Khedira (Stuttgart)
Toni Kroos (Bayer Leverkusen)
Marko Marin (Werder Bremen)
Mezut Özil (Werder Bremen)
Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich)
Christian Träsch (Stuttgart)
Piotr Trochowski (Hamburger SV)
Forward
Cacau (Stuttgart)
Mario Gómez (Bayern Munich)
Stefan Kießling (Bayer Leverkusen)
Miroslav Klöse (Bayern Munich)
Thomas Müller (Bayern Munich)
Lukas Podolski (Cologne)
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