Eyebrows were raised last month when Robin Koch was omitted from the Germany squad. The Leeds United defender had previously been a part of Hansi Flick’s plans as the World Cup approaches, with his last call-up to the national team coming in March.
That recognition came towards the end of a difficult season for Koch, with 26-year-old being shifted around a team that was struggling to find traction in the Premier League. He was also fresh from missing four months of the campaign through injury when he received the phone call from Flick.
It seemed that, despite not being a regular starter for his country, Koch had a role within the national squad with the former Bayern Munich boss keeping faith in him despite his struggle for consistency domestically. This season Koch has arguably been one of Leeds’ strongest performers over the first eight games of the season.
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Nailing down the right-sided centre-back role, Koch has started every Premier League game this season and provided a steady presence in doing so. As such, it came as something of a surprise to see him left out of Flick’s squad in September, with less than two months remaining until the World Cup kicks off in Qatar.
Southampton youngster Armel Bella-Kotchap was recognised for his early season performances, while Thilo Kehrer, Niklas Sule and Nico Schlotterbeck were also included in the 23-man squad ahead of the Whites defender. The decision to overlook Koch hasn’t been explained either publicly or to United boss Jesse Marsch, but it’s fair to say the American is more than happy with what the German is producing at present.
“I haven't spoken to Hansi about it because I just wanted to respect his decision,” Marsch said when asked what Koch had to do to get to Qatar. “He's got also an incredible squad to get ready for the World Cup and a big chance to I think make a push to win the trophy.”
“The only thing I can say is that we're really happy with Robin. I think everything from his work ethic to his fitness right now to his mentality, he's grown as a leader.
“I think he's playing the best football in his career and I think there's more to come. So yeah, I think he's doing great.”
That’s high praise from the Elland Road head coach and he’ll be urging Koch to remain focused on his club appearances in the hope that international recognition will come should he continue to perform well. Flick will undoubtedly be keeping an eye on Koch’s progress over the next weeks the defender will be aiming to give him some food for thought before he decides on who will fill the seats on Germany’s flight to the Middle East next month.
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