Three hopes, one fear: Germany at the 2018 World Cup

Manuel Neuer missed most of the Bundesliga season with a foot fracture. Neuer is the team captain and is the best of the four goalkeepers currently on the preliminary squad. Should Neuer not be fit, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen is a more than capable backup.

Neuer is confident of playing in Russia after 30 minutes in a closed-door friendly against Germany’s U-20 side. However, if he can’t go, then it will be up to Ter Stegen to deputize in goal as he did at the Confederations Cup last year.

Germany used last year’s Confederations Cup as a testing ground for its future talent. All it did then was win the tournament. Timo Werner won the Golden Boot with three goals, Julian Draxler won the Golden Ball, and Leon Goretzka and Lars Stindl also scored three goals in the tournament (Werner had two assists for the Golden Boot tiebreaker).

Stindl is not on the preliminary roster; but Draxler, Werner, and Goretzka most certainly are. Draxler and Goretzka will likely back up Sami Khedira and Toni Kroos, but Werner will most likely see some time as a striker either alongside Thomas Müller. Others who were on the Confederations Cup squad that could feature include Joshua Kimmich, the aforementioned Ter Stegen (if Neuer can’t go).

It’s hard to say who has been more dominant in recent times:  Mercedes in Formula 1 with Lewis Hamilton or Die Mannschaft. The latter has of course been around their respective block for longer. They were the Mercedes that treated everyone in their World Cup qualifying group as if they were a mere back marker. As I mentioned in my initial preview of Germany, their depth is frightening and who doesn’t see them make it to at least the semifinals?

Of the preliminary squad, just three players (Neuer, Khedira, and Gomez) are over 30. The record for goals at World Cups might be taken by 28-year old Thomas Müller. Those Confederations Cup award winners? Draxler is 24, Goretzka is 23, and Werner is 22. If you had doubts that Germany weren’t the favorites, the Confederations Cup quelled a lot of them.

Another way to look at Germany’s dominance is to compare them to the Atlanta Braves of the 1990s. The Braves won many division titles and pennants, but just one World Series (1995). As mentioned before, Germany has made the semifinals in each of the last four World Cup and at the last three Euros. There is just one World Cup in that stretch.

Recently, it is that one team that has the better game than Germany in that semifinal/final. Whether that was Brazil (2002), Italy (2006, 2012), Spain (2008, 2010), or France (2016); it was that one team that was better in that game in that tournament. The possible teams to do that this year include Brazil, Belgium, France, Spain, and England (don’t laugh).

There’s no denying that Germany is one of the favorites if not the favorite. Germany has the squad to repeat as World Champions. Barring surprises, it will be another favorite who will most likely end Germany’s reign because they were able to be better on that particular day in the knockout stages.