This is how Flick plans the World Cup without Timo Werner: the national coach has several prominent storm options

Created: 05/11/2022, 09:15

By: Manuel Bonke

Timo Werner tore a ligament shortly before the start of the World Cup in Qatar.

Now Flick has to find a suitable replacement for the attacker - but who is there to choose from?

Munich – When the German national team moves into their team quarters in Oman around midnight on the Monday after next, Timo Werner (26) should be in a deep sleep at home in Germany.

The RB Leipzig attacker has torn his syndesmosis ligament and will miss both the training camp in Muscat and the World Cup in Qatar.

"For the World Cup, it's a shit *point in time.

He would have done the German game good with his speed and goal threat," said Julian Nagelsmann (35) on Friday.

The Bayern coach had formed Werner into a world-class striker when they were in Leipzig together.

National coach Hansi Flick now has to look for a replacement after Werner's injury-related absence.

© Robert Michael/dpa

National coach Hansi Flick (57) had already spoken of a bitter loss for the team: "We have to do without an excellent striker with a strong goal quota, even in the national jersey, and also without a real team player." The question remains: who can fill the gap? Werner leaves behind due to his failure in the storm center, close at the 2022 World Cup?

At least the national coach does not lack prominent names in the nominal squad list.

Meanwhile, Hansi Flick apparently wants to persuade Toni Kroos to make a DFB comeback.

At the Qatar World Cup without Timo Werner: These striker options remain national coach Hansi Flick

Kai Havertz (23) performed this role both at Chelsea last season and this year with the national team.

Four times Werner was not in the starting eleven under Flick, and in three cases Flick relied on Havertz as a striker in his preferred 4-2-3-1 system.

He promptly repaid this trust in the last international match with a brace against England (3:3).

At 1.90 meters tall, Havertz, who is strong in the air, has the right build for a striker.

Another possibility would be to rely on the Bavarian elemental force: Thomas Müller (33).

The Munich player has often played as a false nine in his career - and has already done so this season for Bayern.

Advantage of this option: Müller could take turns with club colleague Serge Gnabry (27) there and thus cause confusion among the opponents.

Bremen's Niclas Füllkrug (29) will not get beyond the role of joker attacker despite Werner's failure.

If he even makes it into the final World Cup squad.

Because with BVB striker Youssoufa Moukoko (17) he has a highly talented and significantly younger opponent in this position, who is currently in remarkable shape.

It boils down to a "nine" duel.

There are also question marks behind the offensive forces Marco Reus (33) from Borussia Dortmund and Florian Wirtz (19) from Bayer Leverkusen.

While Reus can play against Bochum at the weekend, the game against Union comes too early for Wirtz after his cruciate ligament tear.

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