Arsenal trio Per Mertesacker, Lukas Podolski and Mesut Ozil have been selected in Germany’s provisional 30-man World Cup squad by Joachim Low.
Also included in the list are inexperienced triumvirate, Genoa defender Shkodran Mustafi, Freiburg midfielder Matthias Ginter and Borussia Dortmund defender Erik Durm, as well as talented Schalke teenagers Leon Goretzka and Max Meyer.
Defending his seletion, Low said: “We need young dynamic players like those who perhaps only recently played themselves into contention. They can inject fresh impetus into the side.”
“Many players are used to high-pressure situations from playing in the Champions League, they can live with it. Our foreign-based players also profit from establishing themselves abroad. That brings them further on a sporting level. Generally we have a good mix in the squad.”
Fiorentina striker Mario Gomez has missed out on selection due to his persistent injury problems, while there was no place for Borussia Monchengladbach goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen and former Germany No 1 Rene Adler.
“(Gomez) was injured for seven months, only played 280 minutes since September,” Low said. “So I formed the opinion that he isn’t in a position psychically to cope with the conditions in Brazil.”
Bayern Munich contribute seven players to the squad, more than any other side, with Dortmund boasting six.
Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos and Mario Goetze lead the Bayern contingent, while Marco Reus, Mats Hummels and Marcel Schmelzer are among the best known Dortmund players.
“Behind each of these names is a clear ‘yes’. We’ll have to send some of them home and of course that will lead to disappointment but those players will have contributed to German football and they can be proud of that.”
Low has until May 13 to submit a squad of no more than 30 players to FIFA, with the deadline for the final 23-man squad on June 2.
Here is the full list:
Goalkeepers: Neuer (Bayern Munich), Weidenfeller (Dortmund), Zieler (Hanover)
Defenders: Boateng (Bayern Munich), Durm (Dortmund), Grosskreutz (Dortmund), Hoewedes (Schalke), Hummels (Dortmund), Jansen (Hamburg), Lahm (Bayern Munich), Mertesacker (Arsenal), Mustafi (Sampdoria), Schmelzer (Dortmund).
Midfielders: Bender (Leverkusen), Draxler (Schalke), Ginter (Friburg), Goretzka (Schalke), Goetze (Bayern Munich), Hahn (Augsburg), Khedira (Real Madrid), Kroos (Bayern Munich), Meyer (Schalke), Muller (Bayern Munich), Ozil (Arsenal), Podolski (Arsenal), Reus (Dortmund), Schurrle (Chelsea), Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich)
Forwards: Klose (Lazio), Volland (Hoffenheim)
