Löw keen to maximize playing time
June 9, 2015
Germany national team boss Joachim Löw wants to use the friendly with the United States on Wednesday to test out the new players in his squad.
The 50-year-old confirmed Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira would play 45 minutes and that Shkodran Mustafi and Antonio Rüdiger would play in central defense. Löw has a full compliment of players to select from despite doubts over the fitness of Andre Schürrle and Erik Durm.
"Basically, I want to make the most of the number of substitutions to keep the burden on the players as low as is possible," he said at a press conference on Tuesday in Cologne.
Germany's squad for the USA friendly and the Euro 2016 qualifier against Gibraltar at the weekend has no place for Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller, Toni Kroos, Marco Reus and Benedikt Höwedes, all key players in the World Cup triumph.
Borussia Mönchengladbach winger Patrick Herrmann is included in the squad for the first time and could be the 75th debutant under Löw's tutelage since 2006 when he was successor to Jürgen Klinsmann, the current US national team boss.
Meanwhile, the likes of Champions League winner Marc-Andre ter Stegen, German Cup winner Maxi Arnold and Schalke's Max Meyer remain with the U21 squad as they travel to Czech Republic for the European Championships next month.
The Germany boss is looking forward to intense competition for squad places when 'two-or-three' players make the step up to the first-team in the coming months.
"After the U21 championships, we will bring in fresh blood. I expect a lot of competition for places," he noted.
rd/al (dpa, SID)