There were shocked reactions across the football world yesterday when it was announced that Joachim Löw German football coach had left Leroy Sane out of the Germany World Cup squad. Anyone who follows the Premiership will tell you that Sane had an outstanding season and was an integral figure in helping to win the Premier League trophy in record-breaking style.
Sane’s prolific season
Scoring 10 goals and making 15 assists for his club, he had the kind of season that would usually guarantee that he was one of the first names on the Germany teamsheet. It looks as though Löw has opted for experience over form in this case, especially when you see that Ozil, Reus and Gomez are included in the squad despite not having good seasons by their standards.
Julian Brandt is the player that seemingly got the nod ahead of Sane, with the similarity of the two players meaning that the choice had to be one or the other. Brandt is well known in the Bundesliga, where he has been playing well for Bayer Leverkusen but has not been as prolific as Sane in stats or awards. Both players are full of promise and aged just 22, the decision could not have been an easy one for the Germany manager.
Award winner Sane is omitted from Germany squad
Source: www.mancity.com
Sane picked up the Premier League PFA Young Player Award, following a season where Manchester City finished a long way ahead of their nearest competition. Naming the final 23-man World Cup squad is not the easiest of tasks for national coaches that have 30+ great players to choose from but this omission has been the most surprising one to be announced yet.
Löw provided some insight into his decision-making, stating that “It was a tight race between Leroy Sane and Julian Brandt. Both have big qualities, both are good in the one-on-one duels.” Whether the fact that Löw also said Sane will be back in the team in September will be any consolation for Sane remains to be seen.
Social media followers were quick to point out a recent post from Sane that gave the impression that he thought he would be going to Russia, which will probably be even more painful for the star as rival fans soon began mocking his post. Let’s hope that Sane can put the disappointment behind him, go on holiday to have a well-deserved break and come back stronger next season.