After winning the World Cup in Brazil in 2014, Germany did not have a good showing in the recent World Cup. The 2018 World Cup saw Germany exit after the group stage, as they ended up finishing last in Group F behind Sweden, Mexico, and South Korea. Leading up to Euro 2020, it was thought that not much has changed, and they were going to trudge through the tournament, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Let’s take a look at their squad, key players, players to watch, and a prediction of where Germany could finish.
Squad List
GK: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Bernd Leno (Arsenal), Kevin Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt)
DEF: Robin Koch (Leeds United), Christian Gunter (Freiburg), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Antonio Rüdiger (Chelsea), Matthias Ginter (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Emre Can (Borussia Dortmund), Niklas Sule (Bayern Munich), Lukas Klostermann (RB Leipzig), Marcel Halstenberg (RB Leipzig), Robin Gosens (Atalanta)
MID: Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Ilkay Gündoğan (Manchester City), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich), Kai Havertz (Chelsea), Florian Neuhaus (Borussia Monchengladbach), Jonas Hofmann (Borussia Monchengladbach), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich)
FWD: Timo Werner (Chelsea), Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich), Kevin Volland (Monaco)
Key Players
Germany has a good mix of youth and experience. They bring back the likes of Thomas Muller and Mats Hummels to the squad, and that experience will be huge for Germany. This German team is filled with talent all across the board. It is now just a matter of can manager Joachim Lowe regain their 2014 form.
Manuel Neuer
Neuer has been the German number 1 for a long time now. And that does not seem to be changing for this tournament. If Germany is going to be able to get back to their 2014 World Cup form, Neuer is going to have to play lights out and make those saves when he is needed.
Joshua Kimmich
Joshua Kimmich may not be a name that people think of when you think of the German national team. But he is the catalyst in the midfield and helps distribute as well as cover the backline. Kimmich will be the key player that will determine the attacking prowess that Germany may have, while also helping keep in front of the backline.
Players to Watch
Timo Werner
I put Timo Werner on this list because it all depends on if he can recapture his Leipzig form. He has struggled since his move to Chelsea, and this German team really needs him to find his Leipzig form. If Timo can find that form again, this German team will be very hard to beat.
Kai Havertz
Kai Havertz starred in the Champions League Final for Chelsea. If he can continue that form, he will play a key part in the team and the tournament. He is on the players to watch instead of the key players because it all depends on which Kai Havertz shows up.
Euro 2020 Predictions
Germany’s EURO 2020 schedule is as follows:
June 15- vs. France
June 19- vs. Portugal
June 23- vs. Hungary
Germany is in this tournament’s “Group of Death”. They are matched up with Portugal, France, and Hungary. If they want to advance, they will have to beat 2 international powerhouses. It all depends on what German team will show up. If they are able to recapture their 2014 World Cup form, this team has the potential to advance far in this tournament. If the team from the 2018 World Cup shows up, it will be a long 3 groups for this team. My prediction for this team is that they finish runner-up in the group, but get knocked out in the quarterfinals.
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Main Image Credits- Embed from Getty Images