He’s tied for third in goals in the German Bundesliga, with only one German player amassing a higher total. For his second place team, he excels in a role that would be identical to the one he’d play for the national team, and the Nationalmannschaft is thin at his position.
Kuranyi Will Not Make German Team, Says Löw
↵Yet none of this phased Joachim Löw, who confirmed today that Schalke’s Kevin Kuranyi will not be going with the German national team to South Africa.
↵Kuranyi has been excluded from the national team for nearly two years, ever since he left the team at halftime of a World Cup qualifier against Russia, abandoning his place in the stands after he was not selected to the match’s dressed squad.
↵Löw, the national team coach, said that incident did not affect his decision:
↵↵“The disciplinary incident in October 2008 was not a consideration recently,” Löw said in a press release from the German Football Association. “It would have been no problem for us to give him a new chance in the national team.
↵“However, after consideration among our coaching staff, we came to the conclusion that we had other ideas, tactically and personnel-wise, for the composition of the World Cup squad. This I discussed today frankly with Kevin, who has had a strong season and whom I think is a player of sound character.”
↵↵Kuranyi’s character is fine, according to Löw. His form is good, and he’s been in the team before. If we are to take Löw at his word, what could be keeping Kuranyi out of the team?
↵His competition:
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- Stefan Keißling is the one German who has more Bundesliga goals than Kuranyi. The Byaer Leverkusen forward may have worked himself into Löw’s set-up, having been called into the team since Kuranyi’s exile.
- Mario Gómez seems an automatic selection, even if he has not been in the best form for either the national team or Bayern Munich.
- Gómez’s teammate Thomas Müller has, however, been in-form, coming off a weekend hat-trick and a strong mid-week Champions League match at Lyon. Could the timing of Löw’s announcement coincide with Müller cementing a spot in the squad?
- And then there’s Miroslav Klöse, who has struggled all season for Bayern, yet is a mainstay in the national team, scoring Germany’s only goal in their crucial fall win in Russia. ↵
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If you want to bring in names like Lukas Podolski (who makes the team for his wide play) and Cacao, you get a more well-rounded picture describing why Kuranyi will not be in South Africa.
↵On his personal website, Kuranyi was magnanimous in accepting Löw’s decision:
↵↵“Like every footballer, I dreamed from when I was a little boy of being able to play in a World Cup,” he said. "This dream has now burst for a second time. Therefore it is clear that this decision makes me very sad.
↵“I gave my best. I know that I blundered when I left the stadium at half-time against Russia. Therefore I apologised for that personally and publicly. And I have also given everything sporting-wise this season. Unfortunately that has not sufficed.
↵“But it is the decision of the national coach, and I accept and respect it. Of course I wish the coach and the team the best for South Africa.”
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