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National coach Joachim Löw will nominate a bigger squad for the next three international matches
Photo: Christian Charisius / dpa
Before the postponed European Championship in summer, the German national team will start qualifying for the World Cup in ten days.
National coach Joachim Löw wants to announce his squad for the games against Iceland (25.3.), Romania (28.3.) And North Macedonia (31.3) on Friday.
It will be a bigger squad, as three games (instead of the usual two) have to be played in March due to the tight schedule.
As in autumn, Löw will therefore nominate players who have not previously been permanent members of the national team.
In the Bundesliga, a few professionals are pushing for it.
An overview:
Amin Younes, Frankfurt:
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Amin Younes
Photo: Jan Huebner / imago images / Jan Huebner
Amin Younes already knows the national team.
In 2017 he won the Confederations Cup with the DFB-Elf.
Then Younes disappeared from the orbit of the national team.
In October he moved to Frankfurt.
A decision he shouldn't regret.
After a few initial difficulties, he became a regular player.
The fine technician convinces with his tight ball control, his tempo dribbles and his ability to create scoring chances.
In Frankfurt he refined his game.
Coach Adi Hütter does not use Younes on the wing, but as a half-left tens.
Here he acts much more centrally than in the past and is more oriented towards the goal.
Especially in the game against the ball, Younes has made progress.
He implements the aggressive pressing required by the coach.
In the 1-1 draw against RB Leipzig, he attacked the opponent in the front line.
Younes' nomination seems more likely not just because of his accomplishments.
As a hanging tip, it fits perfectly into Löw's tactical profile.
He recently played repeatedly with a flexible three-man storm, two tens acted slightly offset behind a central striker.
Younes knows this role from the club.
Maximilian Arnold and Ridle Baku, both Wolfsburg:
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Maximilian Arnold (above)
Photo: Stuart Franklin / Getty Images
There is also no way around Wolfsburg's Ridle Baku in the long term.
In November he made his international debut with a brief appearance.
Most recently, he recommended himself for higher tasks: As a right-winger at Wolfsburg, he combined an offensive urge with clever defensive positional play.
He has a good chance of being a right-back at the European Championship, not least because of the lack of competition in this position.
For the next three international matches, Baku is not an option: Stefan Kuntz, coach of the U21 national team, has nominated him for the two-part U21 internationals.
Another Wolfsburg player, like Baku, has already played an international match.
Maximilian Arnold made his debut in an unimportant test match shortly before the 2014 World Cup. Since then, Löw has spurned him, despite constant performances in the league.
The competition in the central midfield was too great.
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Ridle Baku
Photo: Darius Simka / imago images / regios24
Arnold is currently in excellent shape.
As the more defensive part of a double six, he secures the pressing of his team.
His tactical discipline and his overview are the fixed point of a Wolfsburg team that is third in the league;
in front of the teams from Dortmund, Leverkusen and Mönchengladbach peppered with national players.
Arnold is one of the ten best-running players in the league and one of the five midfielders with the most ball contacts.
In addition, he has one of the best passing rates of any midfield player in the league.
His skills may not stand out as much as those of Baku, who prepared a goal and scored one himself in the 5-0 win over Schalke.
But he has the qualities of a defensive six - and would be a good back-up for Joshua Kimmich.
Thomas Müller, FC Bayern:
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Thomas Müller
Photo: Maik Hölter / TEAM2sportphoto / imago images / Team 2
Löw would have even more options.
The two Schlotterbeck brothers Kevin (Union Berlin) and Nico (SC Freiburg) are currently conducting the two defensively most stable three-man chains in the league (and Löw wants to be able to play this formation at the European Championship as well, as is well known).
Like Baku, Nico Schlotterbeck is initially planned for the U21.
The young Leverkusen-based Florian Wirtz, 17, has been in Löw's sights for a long time.
He does not appear in the U21 squad, which could speak for an A-Elf nomination.
The public interest is likely to lie with other players.
With his announced resignation Löw opened the door for the players Thomas Müller, Jerôme Boateng (both Bayern Munich) and Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund).
Hummels and Boateng are not in the outstanding shape they were in autumn.
Due to the weakening competition in the national team's central defense, they would still be an addition for Löw.
Müller, on the other hand, triumphed in the 3-1 win over Bremen.
With 14 assists now after 25 match days, he is chasing the record he set himself last season (21).
The trio will probably join the national team for the European Championship at the earliest.
In return, Löw should help 18-year-old Jamal Musiala make a debut.
However, this was not the first choice at Bayern recently
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