National coach Hansi Flick has decided against nominating Borussia Dortmund’s defensive boss Mats Hummels for the World Cup in Qatar. Record national player Lothar Matthäus, most recently a supporter of the BVB man, has identified two possible reasons.
Mats Hummels will not represent Germany at the World Cup in Qatar (November 20 to December 18), although the central defender has been one of the most consistent players in a mixed BVB season so far. In the run-up to the nomination, quite a few were sure that Hummels would make it into Hansi Flick’s 26-man squad.
But instead of the Dortmund player, the young Armel Bella-Kotchap from FC Southampton joined the team. The ex-Bochumer was invited to the DFB selection for the first time during the Nations League games in September, and he made his senior national team debut against England (3-3).
As the national coach explained at the official squad announcement last Thursday, the decision against Hummels was also one for Bella-Kotchap. Hummels recently “gave a lot to Dortmund. We then decided on a younger player in the coaching team – because we might still have our eyes on the future”. Flick therefore wants to focus on the future.
Matthäus would have taken Hummels to Qatar
According to Lothar Matthäus, however, Hummels should have been there because of his “good form” and his “performance in the Bundesliga as well as in the Champions League”, said the DFB record player in the “picture“. “But I’m sure that Hansi thought very carefully about nominating Bella-Kotschap instead of Hummel’s Armel.”
According to the 61-year-old, in addition to the official reason to finally sort out Hummels from the national team, there are two more: one sporty and one atmospheric.
“But what ultimately spoke against Hummels could be the following on closer analysis: Mats was always particularly good when Dortmund was deep, like against Manchester City. And Hansi doesn’t want that: to be deep,” Matthäus speculates: “Before this Background it was probably too risky for him to nominate a player who certainly has speed deficits.”
“It can have an explosive effect in a tournament”
In addition: “Mats is a leading player who likes to express criticism publicly, as recently in Dortmund; once or twice too often for my taste.” The Dortmund leading player had publicly taken to his teammates several times this season and thus initiated public debates. This was not always well received in the club either.
Matthäus, who can look back on a total of five World Cup appearances with Germany, knows: “That can have an explosive effect at a tournament where everyone lives together for three or four weeks in a small space. And in 1998 I experienced for myself what it was like when Berti Vogts nominated me at the age of 37. At some point he came under pressure to let me play too. Avoiding a similar situation could also have been one of Hansi’s considerations.”