Two returnees, without Hummels: Flick does without surprises this time

Two returnees, without Hummels
This time Flick does without surprises

The first international game block by Hansi Flick creates a positive mood around the German national soccer team. For the upcoming tasks in the World Cup qualification, Flick relies on similar staff. There is no space available for world champion Mats Hummels this time, although he is fit.

National coach Hansi Flick has appointed two returnees to his 23-player national team for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers in October. Goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen from FC Barcelona and defender Matthias Ginter from Borussia Mönchengladbach, whom Flick had to do without in his first three games as national coach in September, will return to the team against Romania and North Macedonia.

The 2014 world champions Mario Götze and Mats Hummels are still not there. For Flick, the renewed renunciation of Hummels in the upcoming international matches is no signal for the next retirement of the Dortmund veteran from the national team. The 32-year-old defender should rather work on his fitness in October in order to be in top shape after his knee problems in preparation and at the start of the season. Flick made this agreement in an interview with Hummels. “We all know what a quality Mats has when he is 100 percent and in top shape. He now focuses on himself and uses the time to train,” said Flick when he announced his 23-man squad for the World Cup qualifiers on October 8 in Hamburg against Romania and three days later in Skopje against North Macedonia.

Hummels is missing, and so are surprises

Flick’s predecessor Joachim Löw had brought Hummels back to the DFB team two years after being retired from the EM in the summer, just like Thomas Müller. For Flick, the 2014 world champion remains an issue for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar: “I’ve known Mats for a long time. I know what he can give a team. If he’s in top shape, every team wins.”

The line-up is largely identical to that of the three victories in Flick’s debut as national coach. “We were very happy with the squad and have made few changes because of that,” said Flick. For his first squad in his new position, Flick called left-back David Raum from TSG Hoffenheim, 19-year-old winger Karim Adeyemi (Red Bull Salzburg) and defender Nico Schlotterbeck from SC Freiburg for the first time in the DFB’s squad in August.

In addition to the last injured goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, Gladbacher Matthias Ginter, who has recovered from Corona, is also returning to the DFB circle. Kevin Trapp from Frankfurt and Ridle Baku from Wolfsburg were not appointed for this. In addition to Ilkay Gündogan and Mahmoud Dahoud, full-back Robin Gosens from Atalanta Bergamo is also “longer out” with a muscle injury, as Flick said.

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