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Winners and losers

Jonathan HardingMay 14, 2014

The game may have ended goalless, but Germany's youngsters left a strong reminder of just how organised they are. Deutsche Welle takes a glance at which players impressed.

https://p.dw.com/p/1BzH4
Freundschaftsspiel Deutschland Polen Vorbereitung
Image: Patrik Stollarz/AFP/Getty Images

After Germany's 0-0 draw with Poland in Hamburg, coach Joachim Löw said that four or five members of his 30-player provisional squad would be cut tomorrow as he announces who will be joining him on the 10-day training camp in South Tyrol that starts on May 21. DW Sports looks at who benefited from the goalless game in Hamburg.

Looking for a ticket:

Shkodran Mustafi - Comfortable, competent and loud. The defender looked good with Ginter for the full 90 minutes. Promising.

Matthias Ginter - Equally solid in possession and confident in the air, although rarely troubled. Made an excellent sliding tackle in the second half to intercept a Poland attack.

Kevin Volland - Often marked out but showed glimpses of strength and good movement. Looked keen to take his chance and seems destined to get another. (Replaced by Sebastian Jung after 70 minutes: the full-back finally got his chance after another good campaign for Frankfurt but roamed and needed more time having been brought on in right midfield.)

Leon Goretzka - Looked to open the play, but like captain Draxler, often made poor decisions in final third.
(Replaced by Andre Hahn at half time: His pace had an immediate impact but he sometimes struggled to control his excitement, a visible flaw in his remarkale league campaign with Augsburg. Flung himself at an effort late on, but to no avail.)

Max Meyer - Displayed his brilliant first touch and looked to find gaps, but was too often without support or crowded out.
(Replaced by Maximilian Arnold after 75 minutes: Wolfsburg's youngster was given what looked like a heart-warming speech by Hansi Flick, but couldn't get into the game late on.)

With the future in mind:

Antonio Rüdiger - Better on the ball than off it. Delivery an issue. Can't expect short-term return, whether centrally or on the right of defense.
(Replaced by Benedikt Höwedes at half time: Solid as ever and nearly assisted after causing a nuisance in the area late on.)

Länderspiel Deutschland vs. Polen
Antonio Rüdiger (far right in white kit) was one player who didn't impress on the nightImage: picture-alliance/dpa

Christoph Kramer - The engine-room runner. Neat and had the most touches by the hour mark. Did all the unnoticed work and played well with Rudy. Löw's suggestion that things could change could work in his favor after tonight.

Sebastian Rudy - Lots of touches, but few that unlocked Poland's defence. Solid in the tackle, consistently unspectacular but an encouraging full 90.

Oliver Sorg - Put under pressure, but dealt with it well. A definite winner on the night.
(Replaced by Christian Günter after 82 minutes: Had a lively run into the box late on and overlapped nicely. Fresh legs helped in a slow game.)

Already going:

Ron-Robert Zieler - A good couple of saves to boost his confidence.
(Replaced by Marc-Andre ter Stegen at half time: Had a sporadic run out to make a clearance but was otherwise untroubled.)

Julian Draxler - Gave the captaincy a fair go, aged just 20, but suffered from the distraction of the armband. Too selfish at times, almost as if he felt he had to prove a point. Showed flashes of excellence as the game wore on, which were a timely reminder of his capabilities.