Who's the New Guy?
October 7, 2006
Five uncapped players made their way into Löw's squad for the friendly match in Rostock, and several of them can expect to play some part in the game against opponents coached by German Klaus Toppmöller.
"It's up to them to prove they belong," Löw told reporters. "The important thing is that they get a little taste of the international team and learn how it feels to be part of the elite."
Hamburg midfielder Piotr Trochowski, Werder Bremen defender Clemens Fritz and Alemannia Aachen striker Jan Schlaudraff will all be hoping for a chance to take the pitch after being nominated to the international team for the first time.
Two other uncapped players in the squad are Hanover goalkeeper Robert Enke, who will start on the bench -- Stuttgart's Timo Hildebrand will get a rare chance between the posts -- and Wolfsburg defender Alexander Madlung. Manuel Friedrich of Mainz and Malik Fathi of Hertha Berlin are both recent newcomers who have been called up since the World Cup.
Injuries dictate German side
As much emphasis as he puts on testing new players and continuing to use the methods and attacking approach he developed with his predecessor Jürgen Klinsmann, injuries have also limited Löw's choices.
In all, injuries have kept seven World Cup players off Löw's squad, while other senior squad members are recovering from knocks and are unlikely to play the full 90 minutes in Rostock ahead of the trip to Bratislava and Euro 2008 Group D opponents Slovakia.
"The focus is on the match next Wednesday in Slovakia," Löw said. "We have the chance to open a six-point lead against one of our major rivals in the group. That's clearly our goal."
After wins against Ireland and San Marino, Germany are atop Group D with six points and ahead of the Czech Republic on goal difference. Slovakia are in third with three points.
Georgia focused on friendly
Meanwhile Georgia regard Germany as an important test ahead of a Euro 2008 Group B qualifier against Italy on Wednesday.
Toppmöller, appointed coach in February, says he and his team are still in a learning process, with the aim in a difficult qualifying group to make life as difficult as possible for the likes of world champions Italy, France and Ukraine.
"I am looking forward to the Georgian players being able to play in Germany. They can continue to learn from the German team," he said. "There are a lot of good players in the team but they lack the German qualities of order and discipline."