Joachim Low has said he can understand criticism of Germany's inexperienced Confederations Cup squad, but added that he found "a good solution."
Low has named a squad that included seven players without a competitive match for the Nationalmannschaft and rested Mesut Ozil, Toni Kroos, Jerome Boateng, Thomas Muller and Mats Hummels, leading to condemnation from Russia's World Cup organising committee chief Alexei Sorokin.
"The heart of a football fan bleeds when the reigning World Cup winner plays without stars," Sorokin was quoted as saying earlier this week. "They are the reason the fans attend matches. But we need to accept it."
Here it is in full, the #DieMannschaft squad for the 2017 #ConfedCup! ���� pic.twitter.com/KXHMWY4ZNU
- Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) May 17, 2017
However, speaking at his prematch news conference ahead of the World Cup qualifier against San Marino on Saturday, Low has said that while he understands the disappointment he had no other options.
"Those players who played so many games reach their limit at one point," Low said. "I can understand the hosts in Russia and that they have different expectations. But they will see the stars next summer."
Citing the 2005 Confederations Cup in Germany where Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski made a lasting impression and became key players for the national team, Low explained that the "object of the Confed Cup is not the results but the development of players."
He said: "No matter where we will finish the Confed Cup, it just makes sense to go into the Confed Cup with this squad. It might already help us next year, or maybe in three years. One day the Confed Cup will become important for those who played in it."