This is likely also because his role at Leverkusen has changed in the meantime. Under Kasper Hjulmand, Andrich mainly plays as a centre-back in a back three at Leverkusen – and Nagelsmann certainly isn’t short of centre-backs ahead of the World Cup, at least for the time being. Jonathan Tah, Nico Schlotterbeck, Antonio Rüdiger and Waldemar Anton have all secured their places in the World Cup squad.
In central midfield, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Leon Goretzka, Pascal Groß and the currently injured Felix Nmecha are ahead of him. Should Nmecha miss out, Angelo Stiller or Anton Stach would likely be called upon before Andrich. Nevertheless, the Leverkusen captain remains a key figure for Bayer 04 this term, chipping in with vital goals.
In the first leg of the Champions League last 16 against Arsenal, the Leverkusen captain rose to head the decisive 1-0 winner, and on Matchday 29 he struck from distance to down Borussia Dortmund. After that goal, Andrich revealed he had spoken with the national coach at the start of the year; Nagelsmann had offered encouragement and left the door to Qatar ajar. “My chance is still there,” Andrich said. “It’s all about playing time and performance. I can’t fault myself in that regard. I’m on the pitch in every game.”