BERLIN, March 16-- "Our youngsters must get the chance to do the next step. Therefore, we have to provide playing minutes to them," Joachim Loew said in advance of Germany's friendly against Serbia next Wednesday and the 2020 Euro qualifier against the Netherlands four days later. The German coach confirmed his team's rejuvenation is a must and irreversible after the country's disappointing early group exit at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the demotion to Group B in the newly formed Nations League in 2018. Midfielder Maximilian Eggestein (22/Werder Bremen) and the defenders Niklas Stark (23/Hertha BSC) and Lukas Klostermann (22/RB Leipzig) are new arrivals in Loew's newly formed squad. Team captain Manuel Neuer (Bayern), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid) and Matthias Ginter (Borussia Moenchengladbach) are the only remaining players from the 2017 squad having won the World Cup. Despite the changes, Loew remains under pressure after his decision to no longer consider Bayern Munich's veteran stars Thomas Mueller, Jerome Boateng, and Mats Hummels. Muller made 100 appearances for Germany, scoring 38 goals. Hummels was capped 70 times (5 goals) and Boateng 76 (1 goal). The last Germany game in which Boateng, Hummels, and Muller played was the 3-0 defeat to the Netherlands in the Nations League on October 13. "They are not banned," Loew claimed, "I told them they are not part of my plans regarding the 2020 European Championships. It was the most important thing for me to tell them eye to eye. We are extremely thankful for their achievements." |