Brazil is not an unknown territory for Kevin Grosskreutz. Two years ago, he was on holiday in Belo Horizonte to visit his former teammate Dede in his home town. His itinerary also included a trip to Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

“I know some people in Brazil who will be glad to see me again.” The odds of that happening have inproved markedly since Wednesday night as in his return to the national side after a three year absence Grosskreutz was one of a few winners in a German team with many weaknesses. In his first international match at right back, a position he was utilised in by club coach Jürgen Klopp following the injury to Lukasz Piszczek, he had to deal with Jean Beausejour from Wigan Athletic, and he did a satisfactory job.

“I know what I have to do in this position,“ he had said the day before at the official DFB press conference in which he otherwise spoke little  and stayed low key. Even when asked whether the World Cup finals would be a goal to strive for, he hemmed and hawed (“I’m very relaxed about it”) before Lukas Podolski, sitting next to him, gave him a slap on his shoulder and told him: “Say it, say it!” Grosskreutz obeyed: “Yes, I want to get to the World Cup.” Well, he can use his performance in Stuttgart on Wednesday as a letter of recommendation. Grosskreutz showed – as in Dortmund’s Champions League games against Arsenal, Napoli or Marseille – that he can deliver on the international stage as well, even if he has already been moved up to midfield again at BVB.

So far Löw has always been content with having an unskilled player as a backup for the untouchable Philipp Lahm. In his seven and a half years as DFB coach, he has used 13 different players at right back, including Benedikt Höwedes, Lars Bender and most recently Heiko Westermann in Wembley in November. They all failed to convince fully. This was also a reason why Löw has so far hesitated to follow the same line as Pep Guardiola and move Lahm to midfield.

The Germany coach will probably wait until the World Cup preparation camp in South Tirol before making a final decision on this matter. Grosskreutz’s World Cup ticket will not solely depend on it as his biggest asset is his versatility. Grosskreutz could become the man for all seasons in Brazil – both in defence and attack.

Source: kicker magazine