Why Antonio Rudiger Should Become a Germany Regular After Win in Spain

Germany were somewhat fortunate to overcome Spain in Vigo on Tuesday night, with a late 1-0 win, when a stripped squad faced off against the best that the Spanish U23s could offer. Both Joachim Low and Vicente del Bosque opted to play a number of second-stringers, to the utter dismay of neutrals and fans alike. 

Yet one German who did feature for his national side was Antonio Rudiger, the central defender from Stuttgart, who once again offered a resilient and assured performance in a match that always looked close to breaking into absolute nonsense. 

Perhaps, if we only whisper it, we can utter that loaded question: Has Germany already found its replacement to Philipp Lahm?

The gap left by Philipp Lahm was not only huge in the symbolic nature of the long-serving captain stepping down from Low's side but also in the physical representation of what he did as a full-back for the side. Germany simply didn't have anyone else lined up to replace him. 

Despite playing as a defensive midfielder to excellent effect for the past 18 months for Bayern Munich, Lahm reverted back to full-back in the World Cup for Germany—at least from the quarter-finals onwards—and proved to be the vital cog in a defensive machine that hadn't worked quite as well until that point. 

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

Lahm, as a right-back, was as worthy of winning the trophy in Brazil as any player in the German colours this summer and proved as vital a loss to the national team as can be. Akin to Argentina losing Lionel Messi or Portugal putting up without Cristiano Ronaldo, Germany simply couldn't have functioned with Lahm and now they're struggling without him.

Low has searched desperately for an alternative since winning the ultimate prize in July, with Kevin Grosskreutz playing at right-back in the friendly match against Argentina following the competition. Germany lost 4-2 that day, as the coach went searching for another option. 

Then came Scotland and with them the introduction of Hoffenheim's own defensive midfielder-turned-full-back, Sebastian Rudy. He did a decent job in the position but ultimately didn't look assured or indeed ready to offer any potential in the role for years to come. 

Low has since turned to the central defender in question with a mixture of intrigue and somewhat bafflement, considering his place in a Stuttgart side that have truly struggled in the Bundesliga for at least the past two seasons. 

Yet from the ash, that Stuttgart conveniently represent in this metaphor, Rudiger has risen like a phoenix and shown his worth against Poland and then the Republic of Ireland in Germany's qualification group for Euro 2016. 

Quick, strong and frighteningly committed, Rudiger certainly offers little comparison to his Bayern predecessor—who was far more reserved, intelligent and efficient in the tackle—but in his own right plays the position of right-back as well as any that Germany can offer at this moment in time. 

Finishing an outstanding year on a high with the win over Spain, Low can approach the New Year and the returning qualification matches in March with a sigh of relief and plenty of time to sort out where his new-look side will go in the next few years. 

We may still see Thomas Muller up front scoring goals, Toni Kroos in midfield pulling the strings and Manuel Neuer pulling off unimaginable saves in goal for die Mannschaft, yet come this time next year we may have a new, regular performer at right-back for Germany. Remember the name Antonio Rudiger.