If the two rivals were to combine, here’s who would make the cut
England face Germany at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday and ,with that in mind, here is what a possible starting XI could look like if they were to unite.
With some young talent coming through into senior England squad, and the world class talent that Germany already possess, the players available to these to big football nations is good enough to the fantasy football points rolling in.
Manuel Neuer
Every successful team, that is destined to be champions, needs a goalkeeper who is going to keep them in the matches when the going gets tough, and Neuer has done that consistently for Bayern Munich – as arguably the best goalkeeper in the world. Joe Hart is a fantastic goalkeeper, in an era where England are spoilt for choice in that position, but even legends such as David Seaman and Peter Shilton would have found it hard to displace the 29-year-old. Thankfully when Germany and England meet on Saturday, there will be no penalty shoot-outs, because no one would envy coming up against him from the spot.
Kyle Walker
Walker is one of a number of Englishman luckily enough to playing under Mauricio Pochettino in a Spurs side full of English talent, and no doubt, the 25-year-old has benefitted from being the first-choice right-back at White Hart Lane, with his pace and forward threat down the right causing problems for opposition defences time and again this season.
John Stones
The John Stones hype may have quietened of late, but there is no doubt that the 21-year-old has a bright future, and has the ‘potential’ to be a world class centre-back if he continues progressing at the same rate as he has done since joining Everton from Barnsley. Chelsea missed out on the Englishman last summer, after the Toffees were believed to have rejected a fee of around £38 million for the player, while Real Madrid and Barcelona have both been interested in Stones. And partnering the youngster alongside the experience of Mats Hummels, would be a good combination in this XI.
Mats Hummels
The 27-year-old would be a fantastic edition to any team, with Manchester United and Liverpool two English clubs who have been linked with the centre-back in recent years. And it’s fair to say, had Bayern Munich known how great he a defender he was to become, they wouldn’t have sold him to their biggest rivals, back in 2009. He is vital to the Germany defence, so would be too, in a combined XI.
Danny Rose
When the left-back was on the fringes of the Spurs side, no one would have dreamed of selecting him first in an England side, especially to select him ahead of a player from the current World Champions. But the 25-year-old has helped Spurs keep 11 Premier League clean sheets this season, and he, too, offers the pace down the left side, like his teammate, Walker, does on the other side of the pitch for Tottenham.
Emre Can
At just 22-years-old, Can plays with a maturity beyond his age. His strength, defensive qualities, power when surging forward and an eye for goal make him a versatile midfielder, who has the potential to be a key man for Germany in the coming years. He certainly has an exciting future which Liverpool fans will hope to witness for many years to come at Anfield.
Mesut Ozil
Ozil has to be one of Joachim Low’s first names that goes on the team sheet, as the effect he has on the team, for club and country, don’t go unnoticed. He is the kind of player that may not get the recognition he deserves, at some clubs, but his skill and quality of his passing, while also chipping in with the goals (8 in all this season) makes him a very effective player. And it’s fair to say, that Arsenal’s top scorer, Olivier Giroud, has benefitted massively from the German’s presence, who has contributed with 19 assists this season, and tops the Premier League assist charts too.
Dele Alli
Maybe we should start calling this the Pochettino effect? As the former MK Dons man is the fourth Spurs player to make the England/ Germany combined XI. Not bad going for a 19-year-old who is taking the Premier League by storm. The midfielder has netted seven times for Spurs this season, in all competitions, and is topping the club’s assist charts, with 12. Alli has taken the Premier League by storm, having played in third division of English football last season, and considering he is seven or eight years away from the prime of his career, it is an exciting time to be an England and Tottenham fan.
Marco Reus
Borussia Dortmund’s attacking quality is immense, and the 26-year-old midfielder is very much a part of that. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is leading the scoring charts, only for Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Reus to be joint second in the scoring charts, with 16. Reus is being targeted in England, and Liverpool fans would be in dreamland if Jurgen Klopp managed to lure one of his former players to Anfield – although that seems a long shot at present. Ozil, Alli and the man himself would make a menacing midfield, and a mouthwatering prospect.
Daniel Sturridge
If the Liverpool striker hadn’t been plagued by injuries this campaign, then maybe this would have been a more obvious choice. Some would leave the 26-year-old out for all his injury troubles, but it is hard not to appreciatee the Reds forward man, who has still scored seven goals, despite his problems. The former Chelsea man is clinical in front of goal, and with a few tricks up his sleeve, he could work well with Harry Kane at the Euros in France this summer.
Harry Kane
Last, but not least, is Kane. Arguably the most obvious pick of the bunch, with 26 goals and three assists for Spurs, he makes up the Spurs quartet in this line-up. He is two goals clear of Jamie Vardy, to top the Premier League scoring charts, and looks good enough to play in any league around the world. His goals range from tap ins, to headers and sublime finishes from the edge of the area. He certainly has massive potential, and looks set to be the future of the Three Lions – and he can show that this weekend, in the absence of Wayne Rooney.
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