Bayern Munich midfielder Toni Kroos has declared that he has a strong relationship with Germany boss Joachim Low, insisting that he deserves a starting berth for club and country.
Kroos has strong competition for a place in Germany's first XI, but impressed from the start in last week's 3-0 win over the Republic of Ireland.
Mario Gotze, Mesut Ozil and Bastian Schweinsteiger are among the options at Low's disposal in attacking midfield, but Kroos believes that if he performs Low will find it very difficult to leave him out.
He told Bild: "The national team coach knows what to expect from me. I will do my utmost to make sure it will be a hard decision for the coach to bench me.
"It's only up to me whether I play or not. I want to put in the best performance possible whenever I play.
"It's not important to me how others feel about my performances. What matters to me is how the coach rates me. I have a good relationship with the coach and he values me."
Germany finish their World Cup qualifying campaign against Sweden this evening, but qualification for next summer's finals is already safely secured.
