Big goals, big difficulties: Hansi Flick has to reschedule right at the start of the World Cup year.

The injury to Niklas Süle forces the national coach to reconsider his defense before his first squad nomination on Friday.

After Jonas Hofmann from Borussia Mönchengladbach and Robin Gosens from Inter Milan, Flick is missing the third defensive strength planned for the World Cup in Qatar due to the muscle fiber tear in the Bayern defender.

Süle's short-term absence for the start of the year for the DFB selection with the friendlies against Israel on March 26 in Sinsheim and three days later against the Netherlands in Amsterdam illustrate the constant danger in the next eight months until the World Cup kicks off on November 21.

As an experienced coach, Flick knows how fragile planning a tournament is.

The biggest dangers are form crises and even more injuries.

The past weekend provided the proof with the severe cruciate ligament injury to Leverkusen's super talent Florian Wirtz (18) before Süle was eliminated.

Flick was also “spontaneously shocked at first.”

Flick watched until the last moment before his squad was announced.

On Wednesday evening he was in Mainz to examine candidates for FSV's Bundesliga catch-up game against Borussia Dortmund (0-1).

On Friday, Flick is expected to give the first indications of the big title goal when he announces his first squad in the World Cup year.

World title is “our goal”

Flick is eager to finally be able to switch from home office to the training ground again after a winter break of more than four months since the 4-1 win in Armenia.

"It's nice how everyone is getting along.

Everyone wants to be there in Qatar, everyone wants to be world champion,” said Flick recently on ARD.

Astonishingly boldly, the 57-year-old proclaimed the world title as “our goal”.

"We're not stacking it too low," said Flick confidently.

DFB director Oliver Bierhoff also sees “the existing potential” for this.

As the official tournament specification for Flick, his superior Bierhoff gave at least the semi-finals.

Flick used 31 players in his first seven international matches, all of which he won.

Thilo Kehrer (Paris Saint-Germain), who became even more important after Süle's absence, and Gladbach's Hofmann, who also missed the start due to a muscle injury, were always used.

The most successful goalscorers in Flick's record start as national coach were Chelsea professional Timo Werner (five goals) and Bayern duo Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sané (four each).

For the most part, the 23 World Cup places seem to be taken, even if Flick leaves the door open.

"It's true that we look at a lot of players and have our sights set on them.

Our U21s also have one or two talented players in their squad,” he said.

The Mainz striker Jonathan Burkardt comes to mind spontaneously when it comes to the U-21 selection, but will stay with the juniors for their European Championship qualification.

Under Löw's successor Flick, defense veteran Mats Hummels (33), who probably played his 76th and last international match in the European Championship against England, is left out.

The Süle injury should not change that.

Antonio Rüdiger and Matthias Ginter are seeded central defenders.

And there are younger defenders who are pushing into the World Cup focus, such as Nico Schlotterbeck from SC Freiburg.

The 22-year-old has been targeted by Borussia Dortmund and, more recently, Bayern Munich with good performances this season.

Flick has invited Schlotterbeck to the DFB team several times, but has not yet used it.

That could now happen against Israel.

Just last weekend, the powerful central defender scored Freiburg's winning goal against Wolfsburg in front of Flick.

Then he said: "I hope that the national coach will nominate me now." The World Cup is also the long-term goal for Schlotterbeck.

Meanwhile, another 22-year-old plays a very important role in Flick's World Cup puzzle: Kai Havertz.

In England at Chelsea he has matured into a player who decides finals.

Havertz shot Chelsea to the 2021 Champions League final.

And he repeated the feat in February in the Club World Cup final.

"You just notice that he's there when it matters," praised Flick.

The national coach also needs a game decider in Qatar.

"That's exactly how I want to see Kai with us."

Flick can only gather the national team three times before direct preparation for the Winter World Cup.

The two upcoming friendlies will be followed by six tight Nations League games in June and September against European champions Italy, European Championship finalists England and Hungary.

For Flick, these games are important "yardsticks" that should "take the DFB team a step further on the way to the World Cup".