With the returnees Antonio Rüdiger, Ilkay Gündogan and Leroy Sané, but without former regulars such as Niklas Süle, Serge Gnabry and Mario Götze, the German national football team is going into the international trio at the end of the season. National coach Hansi Flick announced the squad for the international matches against Ukraine, Poland and Colombia on Friday (02.06.2023). According to media reports, Sami Khedira and Hannes Wolf are also to take over the sporting leadership and succeed Oliver Bierhoff.
In addition to the returned Gündogan, Rüdiger and Sané, Julian Brandt and Robin Gosens are also in the 26-man squad for the international match weeks, which begin with the peace sign in the 1000th international match on June 12 against Ukraine.
Thomas Müller not in the squad – after consultation with Flick
Benjamin Henrichs, Lukas Klostermann and Jonas Hofmann are also back. Hansi Flick has no place this time for the professionals Christian Günter and Josha Vagnoman, who were nominated in March. Thomas Müller is also missing after consultation with the national coach in the squad for the games in Bremen, against Poland in Warsaw on June 16 and four days later against Colombia in Gelsenkirchen.
The only player without an international cap is Malick Thiaw from AC Milan, who was last in the squad against Peru (2-0) and Belgium (2-3). Kevin Schade (FC Brentford) will join the U21s after the Ukraine game and will contest the Junior European Championships in Georgia and Romania.
Neuer, Bella Kotchap and Nmecha still injured
Flick still has to do without long-time captain Manuel Neuer. Mergim Berisha and youngsters Armel Bella Kotchap and Felix Nmecha are also unavailable due to injuries.
The team will meet in Frankfurt am Main on June 7th. Like last time, it will train on the DFB campus. In the first international matches in 2023, there was a 2-0 win against Peru and a 2-3 win against Belgium in March.
Khedira and Wolf after media reports Bierhoff successor
According to media reports, the DFB is said to have arranged the successor to Oliver Bierhoff. Former world champion Sami Khedira and trainer Hannes Wolf are to form the sporting management as a kind of dual leadership. This is reported by the “Sportbuzzer” portal and the German Press Agency (dpa). There was initially no confirmation from the DFB.
According to the reports, Khedira should primarily take care of the strategic orientation of the association and after the farewell to Rudi Völler, who will limit his commitment as director of the senior national team until the home European Championship in 2024, will become the face of the sporting management to the outside world. The 36-year-old would first have to give up his position as an adviser to Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart.
The previous U20 national coach Wolf (42) should primarily take care of the youngsters and talent training at the DFB. After the World Cup debacle in Qatar at the end of 2022, the DFB parted ways with Bierhoff as managing director of the national teams and academy and announced back then that it wanted to spread his responsibilities over several shoulders.
The DFB squad for the international matches
Goal: Marc-André ter Stegen (FC Barcelona), Kevin Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt), Bernd Leno (FC Fulham)
Defense: Matthias Ginter (SC Freiburg), Robin Gosens (Inter Milan), Benjamin Henrichs (RB Leipzig), Thilo Kehrer (West Ham United), Lukas Klostermann (RB Leipzig), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Malick Thiaw (AC Milan), Marius Wolf (Borussia Dortmund)
Midfield/Attack: Julian Brandt (Borussia Dortmund), Emre Can (Borussia Dortmund), Niclas Füllkrug (Werder Bremen), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Ilkay Gündogan (Manchester City), Kai Havertz (Chelsea FC), Jonas Hofmann (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sané (Bayern Munich), Kevin Schade (FC Brentford), Timo Werner (RB Leipzig), Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen).