Joachim Low: "There will always be a need for a striker"

Germany coach Joachim Low has refused to divulge if he will deploy a 'false nine' system against Kazakhstan on Tuesday.

There have been reports that the European giants could start their World Cup qualifier in Nuremberg without a single recognised striker in the lineup.

"There will always be a need for a striker," Low told reporters on Monday. "It's entirely not the case that I'm abolishing the use of strikers in this team.

"In modern international football, teams have become more organised and more solid defensively. The spaces on the pitch are smaller and you have less time on the ball.

"For that reason, you will always need a striker who can run between the lines, stretch defences and shoot well. It just so happens that we have players like Mario Gomez and Miroslav Klose to do the job, but also the likes of Mario Gotze or Mesut Ozil."

Germany are currently five points clear at the top of Group C.