Löw looking for new options

The news of Marco Reus' latest injury is equally as troubling for fans of both the German national team and Bundesliga side, Borussia Dortmund. Reus has been plagued by injuries of late - the left-ankle in particular. So the confirmed news on Monday of another knock to his problem joint has offered reasonable cause for concern.

If you consider it from a Dortmund perspective, you may just be glad that the 25-year-old won't be pushing himself over the coming – comparatively unimportant - two-week international break.

But his absence is significant for Germany because Joachim Löw's squad has a different vibe to it for this international break. Not concerned with the glitz, glamor and red carpet in Berlin on Monday, the focus will be on kick-starting their EURO 2016 qualifying campaign. In their last games, the German side lost to Poland and drew on home turf with Ireland.

That hasn't led to mass panic yet, as Löw and his troops sun themselves in the recognition of the World Cup win. This time around though, anything other than a convincing win over Gibraltar in Nuremberg on Friday seems unthinkable. Next Tuesday (18.11.2014) Germany play Spain in a friendly which allows the head coach to tinker, if he feels the need, with his team.

But with Reus, potentially a fundamental player, unavailable, there are some other options that Löw might be keen to utilize this break.

Volland has earned his stripes

Promoted from Germany’s U21 team, where he was captain and helped them qualify for the 2015 U21 European Championships, Kevin Volland has been on the edge of Germany’s A-team squad for some time now. In fact, before the World Cup actually began, the 22-year-old was part of a 30-man squad that was brought together to play some friendlies. He didn't manage to make the cut for the training camp though.

In spite of his weaker form – he only scored 11 times for Hoffenheim in the 2013-14 season -Volland has always been a top prospect. Not only that, he’s young enough that he can play a role in the evolution of the World Cup-winning side.

Now that Miroslav Klose has retired, Löw has been forced into a re-think. Should he make a straight swap for Klose and keep the team structure that had such success in Brazil? Or should he finesse the modernized formation that was used at the beginning of the tournament where Thomas Müller played in the "False 9" position? Or should he completely revolutionize the team altogether?

The great benefit of Volland is that he brings a completeness, an attacking versatility, combined with outstanding technique and combination-play, that actually fits Löw's concept down to a tee. He can lead the line as an outright forward or can operate on any side of the pitch, which especially could amplify the importance of Müller, a player more at home operating on the periphery of the game and without any fixed position.

And with all due respect to Gibraltar, the newest member of FIFA, there won't be a better opportunity to shuffle the pack.

Money on Kruse?

Speaking of cards: what about poker-playing Max Kruse? The left-footed striker from Borussia Mönchengladbach is another great option in attack for Joachim Löw. Since returning from surgery, Kruse has managed to hit five goals in nine games this season. He also helped the Foals storm towards a new club record of 18 matches without defeat (before a 1-0 loss in Dortmund last Sunday).

The 26-year-old, formerly of south-western club Freiburg, offers devastating effectiveness in attack, while being technically proficient enough to bring other team-mates into the game.

He's a pure, modern version of the combination-footballer: weaving into small gaps and looking to work closely with his nearest team-mate. For a team like Gladbach, which focuses astutely on the counterattack, Kruse is vital.

With one goal in German colors already, Kruse has a flavor of the international scene. He can offer the same all-round option as Volland when deployed as an outright forward, but that’s probably the maximum that can be expected of the Gladbach attacker.

Löw's solution could lie somewhere else though of course. It could involve what he has used before: Thomas Müller or Mario Götze, the two other recognizable attackers in the squad, as the main attacking forward. Considering the last few uninspiring performances since the win against Argentina in Rio to clinch Germany's fourth world title, Löw is maybe quite right to start thinking about another option too, something completely outside of the box.

The next phase for Germany, if they aspire to re-enact Spain's total domination of world football, hasn't quite begun just yet.