Richard Buxton: Germany’s break with history

All bets are off for Germany, as Joachim Loew stakes his final roll of the dice on redemption.

The four-time World Cup winners have refused to continue gambling on their glorious past.

Just three of the players that triumphed in Brazil five years ago remain in situ, ahead of tomorrow morning's (Singapore time) friendly with Serbia.

Barely over half of the crop that produced a pitiful title defence in Russia last summer are also still deemed to be trustworthy.

INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY

GERMANY

SERBIA

A break with history was inevitable for Die Mannschaft.

Attitudes needed shifting, not least from Loew himself.

Politicking previously superseded progress in the 59-year-old's priorities.

He appeared far happier to cultivate the national side's status quo rather than shaking it up.

But the timing and manner of recent upheaval has still caused widespread consternation.

Loew's decision to consign Thomas Mueller, Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng to early international retirement sparked outrage among the country's footballing populous.

Discarding a wealth of experience and proven pedigree, as totems of Bayern Munich, with their first Euro 2020 qualifier against Holland next Monday morning was considered a retrograde step.

There is, however, a method behind Loew's apparent madness.

In order to usher in Germany's next generation, a break-up of the splintering factions - which supposedly emerged during their World Cup demise and subsequently lingered through a fresh humiliation as they were relegated from the top tier of the Nations League - was necessary.

Mesut Oezil's self-imposed retirement began the process of dismantling the so-called "Bling-bling gang", to which Boateng was said to have also belonged.

Injuries to Julian Draxler and Sami Khedira ensure that this particular clique has been obliterated from view this week.

Discarding of Mueller and Hummels also thinned out the numbers of the Bavarians' group, the other warring side, and will theoretically have a greater impact than dressing room harmony.

By the time Germany unceremoniously bowed out of the Nations League, Mueller had already become yesterday's man; unable to dislodge Timo Werner at the fulcrum of Germany's attack and included only to fulfill personal milestones that masqueraded as cameo appearances.

Boateng failed to even make it into the 23-man squad, while Hummels failed to cover himself in glory in a defence which surrendered a two-goal lead to draw with Holland last November.

Loew's epiphany may have arrived later than most anticipated, with the World Cup fallout arguably the opportune moment to engineer change, but there is no shortage of capable successors to Bayern's defensive duo in both Germany's new recruits and returning rookies.

Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Jonathan Tah still appears the most likely candidate to step into a possible three-man back line alongside Niklas Suele and Chelsea's Antonio Ruediger.

However, newcomer Niklas Stark cannot be discounted, especially with a 90 per cent pass completion rate at Hertha Berlin this season, while returnee Thilo Kehrer has risen to prominence since tying down a regular first-team spot at Paris Saint-Germain.

Others fresh into the fold will also raise the bar with competition for places in other areas set to intensify.

RB Leipzig right-back Lukas Klostermann won a silver medal with Germany at the 2016 Olympics and possesses clear leadership qualities from his spell as Under-21 captain.

Werder Bremen's Maximilian Eggestein, the third newcomer, threatens to lay siege to a midfield pecking order dominated by Toni Kroos, Ilkay Guendogan and Leon Goretzka through a combination of versatility and core stamina that currently averages 12km per game.

With his reputation on the line, Loew must ensure that the only teething problems Germany encounter this week are confined to his own dental work.