Mesut Ozil aims dig at Germany coach Joachim Low over Jerome Boateng omission
Ozil left the national team set-up in 2018, the same year that Boateng was dropped from Die Mannschaft
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It didn’t take Mesut Ozil long to offer his thoughts after Germany’s 6-0 Nations League thrashing by Spain on Tuesday night.
Manchester City winger Ferran Torres hit a hat-trick against Joachim Low’s side, with club team-mate Rodri also netting alongside Alvaro Morata and Mikel Oyarzabal in a demolition that saw the hosts qualify for the finals of the competition.
Germany, meanwhile, dropped to second in Group A4, and Ukraine could qualify in the four-time world champions’ place if they are able to reschedule their fixture against Switzerland and improve their goal difference to better Germany’s. With the Ukraine squad in quarantine after a coronavirus outbreak, however, Uefa have not yet clarified how the situation will be resolved.
Regardless of the long-term outcome of Germany’s heavy defeat, it has led a number of fans to question whether Low’s time in charge of Die Mannschaft is up, and Ozil suggested that his former coach had made a mistake in leaving Jerome Boateng out of the squad.
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Ozil, who left the national team set-up in 2018 after accusing figures in the Deutscher Fussball-Bund (DFB) of racism, took to social media to write: “Time to take @JeromeBoateng back.”
Boateng was dropped by Low shortly after Germany’s attempted defence of the World Cup in 2018 ended in a shocking group-stage exit.
The Bayern Munich centre-back was a key part of his club’s treble win last season, helping to take FC Hollywood to the Champions League final, where they defeated Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 after the defender went off injured.
Despite Tuesday’s chastening result, Low is not expected to lose his job, with national team director Oliver Bierhoff saying the DFB would stand by the 60-year-old.
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