"Can be a lot of positives" - Premier League defender is ideal for Flick's World Cup squad
Created: 07/11/2022, 18:00
By: Antonio Jose Riether
Shortly before the squad was announced by national coach Hansi Flick, Robin Koch expressed his personal wish – to take part in the World Cup in Qatar.
Leeds – National coach Hansi Flick still has a few days to work on the World Cup squad with his coaching team.
On Thursday, November 10, the 57-year-old will unveil his final squad of 26 for the tournament in Qatar.
One who would love to see his name on the much-anticipated list is Robin Koch.
The Leeds United centre-back recently detailed his ambitions for the coveted squad spot, but the competition is fierce.
Hansi Flick's World Cup squad: England legionnaire Robin Koch hopes to be there
The 26-year-old appeared self-confident to the
SID
, but not overly optimistic.
"I'm sure I can give every team a lot of positive things on and off the field, including the national team," said Koch, who continues to dream of the World Cup.
"Of course I still hope to be there," said the Premier League professional.
"I've often mentioned that I can only step on the gas and show strong performances at my club," said the former Freiburg player, who moved to the island in summer 2020.
“It has worked quite well so far this season.
Everything else is in the hands of the national coach.” Koch is one of the mainstays in Leeds this season and is one of the permanent staff.
Robin Koch has worn the national team jersey eight times, but for the last time in June 2021. © Neis /Eibner-Pressefoto/imago-images
Robin Koch's last assignment was a year and a half ago - he was not deployed at the European Championships
However, one argument against the nomination is that Koch has not been called up to the national team once since Flick took office in the summer of 2021.
Most recently, the native of Kaiserslautern took part in the European Championships last year, but did not play.
His last of eight appearances is dated June 2, 2021, when the DFB team coached by Joachim Löw and the Danish national team drew 1-1.
In addition to his longer absence from the national team, the high level of competition for the central defender position could also get in the way.
The best chances are attributed to Antonio Rüdiger from Real Madrid and the Dortmunders Nico Schlotterbeck and Niklas Süle, West Ham professional Thilo Kehrer and the Freiburg stabilizer Matthias Ginter are also on the shortlist.
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In addition to his World Cup chances, Koch also commented on the downsides
of the much-criticized tournament in an interview with
SID .
The human rights violations in Qatar do not go unnoticed by professionals.
"We all know that the award to Qatar wasn't necessarily the right one," says the defender. On the other hand, the World Cup is "the biggest tournament that every footballer can play.
So it's understandable that you're looking forward to it from a sporting point of view."
If the jump into the World Cup team doesn't work out, the son of ex-Bundesliga player Harry Koch will watch the tournament "like a normal football fan".
"Keeping our fingers crossed for our boys," of course.
(ajr/sid)