DFB women defy the anger
Gossip with FC Bayern weighs heavily on preparation for the World Cup
6/19/2023 5:26 p.m
The TV broadcast is secured, but not all problems have been resolved for the DFB team before the start of the World Cup. The women from Munich are arriving late for the World Cup camp, which is depressing. The World Cup camp should be as successful as before the EM hype.
The tiresome TV Zoff is settled, the batteries are charged, now it’s getting serious – but unfortunately not for all World Cup candidates. When the German soccer players around Alexandra Popp arrive at “HomeGround” in Herzogenaurach on Tuesday, six players are still missing after the fierce spat about the placements. The Bayern quintet will come later, as will Ann-Katrin Berger from Chelsea. Despite the difficult circumstances, the start of the preparations should fuel the anticipation for the tournament.
For health reasons, FC Bayern had given its champion players more time to regenerate than had initially been agreed with the DFB. Joti Chatzialexiou, sporting director of national teams, even accused the club of “breach of word” in the inglorious cause. “Of course that messes up our preparation, on many levels,” commented the national coach.
Munich’s Lina Magull, Lea Schüller, Klara Bühl, Sydney Lohmann and Carolin Simon will join on Friday, goalkeeper Berger the day before – the first test against Vietnam on Saturday (6.15 p.m./ZDF and in the ntv.de live ticker) in Offenbach will be tricky. National coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg is taking the trio of Janina Minge from SC Freiburg, Carlotta Wamser from Eintracht Frankfurt and Melissa Kössler from Hoffenheim to the first of two courses (until June 28).
Because it is important to “take care of the ten women from Wolfsburg” during the intensive casting, as Voss-Tecklenburg explained. As Champions League finalists, the VfL pros were under the strain for the longest time – and accordingly, before the exhausting World Cup Down Under (July 20th to August 20th), they were on vacation for the shortest time.
Remembering the success of the EM in Herzogenaurach
“We’re glad we have such a large squad. We’re prepared for anything,” assured Voss-Tecklenburg, who arrived with her coaching staff on Monday. The obstacles don’t change the maxim: As in the previous year, the “spirit of Herzogenaurach” should be conjured up – and give wings to the runner-up European champions in their hunt for the third star.
The heroines of the European Championship had repeatedly emphasized that the time on the “HomeGround” was the key to the strong team spirit. The varied area offers the perfect conditions, from the pool to the padel court, even away from training.
Therefore, the second part of the final touches (July 1st to July 8th) including a dress rehearsal against Zambia in Fürth on July 7th will take place in Franconia. Only then will the squad be reduced from 28 to the final 23 World Cup players. According to Voss-Tecklenburg, attention is paid to “role clarity, acceptance and implementation” in this process.
On July 11, the two-time world champion embarks on an adventure on the other side of the world. This should leave enough time to get used to the considerable time change and the climate at the base camp in Wyong, around 90 kilometers north of Sydney.
In Group H with Morocco (July 24th/Melbourne), Colombia (July 30th/Sydney) and South Korea (August 3rd/Brisbane), the DFB team is the clear favorite, but threatens in the knockout phase same title candidates as France or Brazil. The destination of dreams is Sydney – the final will take place there on August 20th.