Thilo Kehrer is one of the big winners of the change of national coach from Joachim Löw to Hansi Flick – although he does not have the greatest importance in the club.
Hardly anyone is as excited about the upcoming international matches as he is: Thilo Kehrer. The defensive all-rounder, who has to line up behind Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar in the star ensemble of Paris Saint-Germain, enjoys a high reputation in the national team.
There is no other way to explain that the ex-Schalke player is the previous “record national player” under new national coach Hansi Flick. The 25-year-old, who moved to France from FC Schalke in 2018, played all nine games. Most even over the entire 90 and never less than 72 minutes.
Schalke 04: 2015 bis 201859 games (four goals, four assists) |
Paris Saint Germain: since 2018128 games (four goals, two assists) |
National team: Debut 201818 games (one assist)
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For comparison: it took the 25-year-old three years for his first nine international matches. In the case of Flick’s predecessor Joachim Löw, others on the defensive were given preference, which may also have been due to the lack of match practice.
Defensively flexible
Flick doesn’t seem to mind that Kehrer only managed less than half of the possible playing times at PSG last season. Not that he is used more in central defense in his club. In the national team, Kehrer shares the position of right-back with Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Jonas Hofmann.
Which of the two will start tonight in the Nations League against European champions Italy (June 4, 8:45 p.m.) depends on Flick’s tactical orientation. Hofmann is clearly the more offensive variant, Kehrer the more defensive variant. However, the previous games clearly indicate that Kehrer will definitely get minutes.
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