Germany Coach Joachim Low sees the 2018 World Cup in Russia as the goal and the Confederations Cup in the same country as just a stop along the road, given some of his players would be competing in their third major tournament in three years.
‘Three tournaments in three years is borderline,’ Low told reporters in reference to the 2014 World Cup and last year’s Euro. ‘Even two in two years is hard.’
The list of absentees also includes Jerome Boateng, Mesut Ozil, Thomas Muller and Toni Kroos, while Low called up seven newcomers.
Some of his players, including Serge Gnabry and Max Meyer, are to be deployed in the Under-21 European championship at the same time.
‘We are going into the tournament with a prospect squad. We want those who will be with us to learn our ideas, our mechanisms, train with us. That is the aim. To bring them a bit further towards world level,’ Loew said.
Hoffenheim playmaker Kerem Demirbay, 23-year-old Ajax Amsterdam winger Amin Younes and RB Leipzig’s Diego Demme are among the newcomers.
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