Thilo Kehrer currently has two new jobs in the national team: He has to help out on the left side of defense and answer questions about Lionel Messi, his new teammate at Paris Saint-Germain.
The German Football Association has a puzzle that they have been playing for seven years. Not because it would be so much fun for those involved, but because none of the parts available to choose fits into the gaps.
Since winning the World Cup in 2014, there has been a vacancy in the full-back position in the DFB team. The then national coach Löw already had to improvise when he won the World Cup: He sent a so-called ox defense in Brazil onto the grass. One of the oxen was the trained, tall Schalke central defender Benedikt Höwedes, who had to play on the left wing. Only on the right was there in the small, agile and strong Philipp Lahm a man who perfectly matched the actual requirement profile.
National team: defense puzzle still unsolved
Today, more than half a decade later, Löw’s successor, Hansi Flick, is still faced with the pieces of the puzzle that the DFB put on his tactic board. Before the World Cup qualifiers against Romania on Friday (8:45 p.m., live on RTL, TVNOW and in stern-Ticker) Flick has to improvise on both wings and press players into the system who don’t actually feel comfortable there.
Jonas Hoffmann from Gladbach will probably play on the right, who is used in attacking midfield at his club. On the left Flick is also missing a suitable piece of the puzzle, as Robin Gosens (Atalanta Bergamo), the regular left-back, is injured in his right thigh. He will be out against both Romania and North Macedonia on Monday.
Gosens stood out positively from the DFB team at the failed EM 2020; he was the discovery of the tournament from a German point of view. Gosens not only defended reliably, but also repeatedly drove the attack game with his sprints on the sidelines. He scored a goal in the 4-2 game against Portugal and was later named “Star of the Match”.
Thilo Kehrer: Another “ox” for the left side
Like Joachim Löw once upon a time, Flick is now forced to put an “ox” on its left side. It’s Thilo Kehrer, 25 years old, 1.86 meters tall, who says he prefers to be in the center of the defense, “because I’m the best player I can be there.”
Kehrer, socialized in football at VfB Stuttgart and Schalke 04, now has to relearn. Flick trusts him to do that – and even more, as he said on Thursday: “Thilo can play in all positions in defense and before that, in position six. He is in very good physical condition and was very focused in training. ”
In fact, Kehrer has developed amazingly. When he moved from Schalke to Paris Saint-Germain for 37 million euros in the summer of 2018, he initially had a hard time at the French capital club. He often seemed nervous, he made fatal careless mistakes – he was not the calming pole in the defense that the then coach Thomas Tuchel had hoped for.
But Kehrer, already labeled as a bad purchase by parts of the French press, fought his way back. Refrained from the risky excursions into the offensive midfield and limited himself to solid defensive work.
Not called for the EM
Joachim Löw noticed his increase in performance in Paris, but he did not nominate Kehrer for the EM this summer. Kehrer simply couldn’t get past Robin Gosens, who had stirred up the Italian league.
In Paris he is now more appreciated than last season. He recently missed two games with a cold, but coach Mauricio Pochettino is counting on him. The internal pressure at PSG, however, is enormous, as Kehrer reported on Thursday: “There is great competition. I learn something new every day.”
This is mainly due to the fact that Kehrer is challenged in training by what are arguably the best attackers in the world: Messi, Neymar and Mbappé storm for Paris, which is lavishly supported by the investor group Qatar Sports Investments (QSI). For the commitment of the Brazilian Neymar from FC Barcelona alone, around 220 million euros were spent in 2017.
What’s Messi like?
Kehrer’s prominent teammates in Paris are a big topic, also among the German national team. He is asked again and again how Messi is like, reports Kehrer and has an extremely unspectacular answer ready: “Quite normal. He is a simple guy and very down to earth.”
At the end of next week, Kehrer will try again in Paris to get the ball off Messi in training. In contrast, his jobs against Romania and North Macedonia should be child’s play – even in the unpopular position at the back left.
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
