The heroes of the Champions League at rest, the return of long-injured injuries: a Germany without certainty welcomes Thursday Spain, also very young, in Stuttgart and behind closed doors in the Nations League.
Löw and the 1995-96 class
For this match between former world champions, Joachim Löw, the coach of the Mannschaft, decided to rest the players of Bayern and Leipzig holders in August during the Final 8 in Lisbon: the Bavarians Joshua Kimmich, boss of the defensive midfielder , the scorer winger Serge Gnabry or Manuel Neuer, the usual captain in selection, are notably absent.
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On the other hand, Niklas Süle, seriously injured all last season and little used by Munich in the Champions League, is making his comeback in central defense.
Löw is counting on him to be the mainstay of the back lines at Euro 2020. Leroy Sané, the new German star transferred from Manchester City to Bayern this summer, has also been summoned.
He will be the spearhead of the attack (with Timo Werner), but he too is coming back from injury and must get back into the rhythm of the competition.
Süle, Sané and Werner are three of the representatives of the 1995/96 class, like Gnabry, Kimmich, Leon Goretzka or Julian Brandt, a golden generation supposed to bring Germany back to the highest world level.
Because despite calls to recall former Thomas Müller, Jérôme Boateng or Mats Hummels, ousted from the national team last year but returned to their best level in the meantime, Löw did not give in: “They are exceptional players but we decided after the World Cup to bet on new players by giving them the opportunity to develop.
My role is to look to the future, ”he said.
The last “historic” summoned this week is Toni Kroos (30, Real Madrid).
The confrontation with Spain will give some keys for the future, because the “Roja” also arrives with new youthful faces.
Enrique launches Ansu Fati
The coach Luis Enrique, returned to the bench of the Spanish selection after the interim of Robert Moreno while he remained at the bedside of his daughter Xana, who died of bone cancer at the end of August 2019, has indeed chosen to 'use this League of Nations to launch a new generation.
The Stuttgart stadium, without spectators, could see the first cape of a player announced as a future star of world football: Ansu Fati, 17 years old and already in the rotation of the attack of FC Barcelona, in the middle of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann.
On August 31, 2019, he became Barça's youngest goalscorer in La Liga at 16, 10 months and 4 days old.
Then on December 10, the youngest scorer in the history of the Champions League against Inter Milan (2-1).
"A star is born," then headlined the daily El Mundo.
In the fall, the teenager born in Guinea-Bissau obtained his Spanish passport, and made his debut with the national team on October 15.
Enrique has called six other players for the first time: Sergio Reguilon (Sevilla FC), Eric Garcia (Manchester City), Mikel Merino (Real Sociedad), Oscar Rodríguez (Leganés), Ferran Torres (Manchester City), and Adama Traoré (Wolverhampton) , awaiting a coronavirus test).
All will have a chance to start either Thursday against Germany or Sunday against Ukraine in Madrid.
La Roja has still kept some benchmarks with his executives prematurely eliminated from European competitions, such as the pillars Sergio Ramos (34 years old, Real Madrid) and Sergio Busquets (32 years old, FC Barcelona).
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