2018 World Cup: 3 reasons why Sane's exclusion from the German squad makes sense

Imagine scoring 14 goals and delivering 17 assists as part of arguably one of the best Premier League sides of all time, only to get the news that you won't be going to the FIFA World Cup.

While most of Twitter have grabbed their pitchforks and are out to get Low's head for dropping Leroy Sane from the squad (along with Bernd Leno, Nils Petersen, and Jonathan Tah), the move from the coach of the defending champions actually makes sense.

Here are 3 reasons as to why the decision to drop Sane from the plane to Russia might not be the worst thing:

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#1 Ridiculous depth on the left

Reus is certain to start on the left for Germany

This is the most obvious reason to leave Sane out - he plays on the left, where Germany already have Marco Reus and Julian Draxler competing. Well, calling it competing is a bit of a misuse as there is no competition - Reus will certainly start on the left.

Low is most likely to use the 4-2-3-1 which Germany has been using for a long time. In that case, there is only one spot left on the left. Even the hardest of City fans won't argue that Sane is better than Marco Reus.

Low reportedly said that it was a very close call between Brandt and Sane - with Brandt getting the go ahead to pack his bags - and this is the reason. Brandt plays on the right for the national team, where there is not a lot of depth and Muller who normally plays high-octane football might need some breathing time.

A case could be made that he is better than Draxler, but Draxler is much more suited to the national team and has put in quite a few good performances at PSG this season.

#2 Sane's performances for the national team

Sane has never been a force to be reckoned with when playing for Germany

Okay, this might be a little contentious but Sane doesn't reciprocate the form he has for Manchester City when playing for Germany. If Low based his selection merely on performances for his team, there is no reason why this decision is contentious.

It has a lot to do with tactics too - Sane is given the freedom at the club level to move forward freely and take shots, but Low's structure doesn't work like that. Sane has very rarely delivered when playing for Germany even during his time before City.

In the most recent game against Austria (that Germany lost 1-2), Sane was horrible and that might have been the last straw that broke the camel's back.

But this is not the end of the line for Sane. He is only 22 and will get much more opportunities in the past, but not before he starts raising his performance for the National team.

#3 Consistency

Sane can range from being a genius to frustrating, often in the space of a few minutes

If you had to choose between two players - one whose performances can range between 6 and 8 out of 10 or the other whose performances can range between 4 and 10 out of 10, it is a no-brainer that you pick the latter when you go to the WC. Unfortunately, Sane belongs to the former category.

Even during his best season (at City), there were a lot of games where Sane comes across as frustrating. Whether it is a pass during a counter, or not releasing the ball when a teammate is in a better position, or simply being offside, Sane has his fair share of bad days.

The only problem is that Sane's bad days are worse than the average player's. With such a scenario, it makes sense for Low to pick someone like Rudy over Sane, Rudy who is the definition of a squad player - does what he is asked without any questions.