The embarrassing 3-2 loss to Zambia last Saturday is still having an impact. Not so much among the DFB players themselves, who boarded the plane via Dubai to Sydney full of anticipation and optimism, but rather among the fans, who were already unsure that the women had adapted to the meager level of the German men’s soccer teams. After all, the international season didn’t give too much hope for a successful World Cup. A goalless draw against Sweden, a silly win against the Netherlands, plus a defeat against possible knockout round opponents Brazil and a narrow win against the World Cup participants from Vietnam. So far, things are far from ideal.
As European runners-up, the national team’s attention is much greater than it was last time, but so far it hasn’t been able to translate that into performance and quality. On the contrary, there have been some major problems recently, although last year’s players made up the majority of the squad this summer. 19 of 23 European Championship finalists are in Australia. 24 players have made the long journey, because Martina Voss-Tecklenburg and her team have chosen Janina Minge as a backup for defensive midfield, but it is quite possible that she will not make it into the squad when it comes to Group H against Morocco (24 July/10.30 a.m./ZDF), Colombia (July 30/11.30 a.m./ARD) and South Korea (August 3/12 p.m./ZDF/and all in the ntv.de live ticker).
The top form of the team seems far away before the duels with the clear underdogs, but how does it look in detail? Which player can convince, who is still chasing their skills? Details in the form check – today’s goal and defense:
Goal:
The rule that Germany always has good goalkeepers also applies here. Merle Frohms, who only conceded the first goal in the semi-finals of the 2022 European Championship, is still in top form. In the game against Vietnam at the end of June, the first-choice goalkeeper from Champions League finalists VfL Wolfsburg showed excellent reflexes, for example when she skillfully deflected an unforeseen shot on target with her leg. The number 2, Ann-Katrin Berger, is also a world-class goalkeeper. In the world footballer election, she made it to third place among the goalkeepers in both 2021 and 2022 – the Chelsea keeper was even rated higher than Frohms. Germany’s third option is 23-year-old Stina Johannes from Eintracht Frankfurt, who is yet to earn an international cap. That shouldn’t change in Australia, she’s mainly there to learn.
Central Defense:
The fact that Frohms only had to get behind them for the first time in the semi-finals at the European Championships was largely due to their good front men. Defense chief Marina Hegering and right-back Giulia Gwinn, who is still in advanced training, made it into the all-star team of the tournament with their performances. In addition to Hegering in central defence, her Wolfsburg teammate Kathrin Hendrich also impressed, but neither are currently in top form – even if the whining is at a high level. Hendrich, who is one of the best defenders in the world, has had minor sloppiness throughout the season, and she was also decisively duped once in the European Championship final. The German-Belgian is strong in one-on-one and quick – although Zambia’s striker Barbra Banda was even faster and pushed the 31-year-old to the limit – but her positional play is not always perfect. Hegering compensated for this at the European Championships, the older of the two is not the fastest and therefore reaches her limits when the opponents simply overplay the chain.
To make matters worse, Hegering had to be substituted at half-time against Zambia after being kicked in the heel. A bruise is the result, giving her a nasty déjà vu as she missed six years of her career with a heel injury. Although she was able to become U20 world champion in her own country in 2010, she only made her senior debut in April 2019.
Despite minor mistakes, the two women from Wolfsburg should be Voss-Tecklenburg’s first choice. Sara Doorsoun, who was preferred to Hegering at the 2019 World Cup, and her previous Frankfurt teammate Sjoeke Nüsken, who is moving to Chelsea, are probably only intended as backups. A year ago, Nüsken was dropped from the provisional squad, the trip to Australia is now a step forward for the 22-year-old, who was only withdrawn from midfield to the center of defense by Eintracht coach Niko Arnautis before the past season. Chantal Hagel, who is also officially called up for defence, and who is moving from TSG Hoffenheim to Wolfsburg after the World Cup, can play in central defence, but is more adept in central midfield. Even the 26-year-old will hardly get beyond the role of substitute player.
External defense:
Just don’t get overrun, that’s also a danger on the outside. Last year it was more likely to get through on the left because Felicitas Rauch allowed herself minor mistakes in her first major tournament, which were ironed out by her teammates. This season, the Wolfsburg player has improved again, has played 21 of 22 Bundesliga games in the starting line-up and all games in the DFB Cup and in the Champions League. Defensively, she hardly allowed any weaknesses, stood securely and is technically adept, offensively she shone as a set piece and with eleven assists as a cross. She faced competition in the DFB team from Carolin Simon in preparation, but the Munich native dropped out in the most dramatic way possible because of her cruciate ligament tear she suffered in the Zambia game.
On the right, Gwinn’s absence leaves a huge gap in the DFB defense network. It is the position in which the national coach even tried an experiment against Zambia: winger Svenja Huth went on the defensive. She did this unfamiliar job solidly, but fabricated the decisive ball loss before the 0: 2. Above all, it is questionable whether the lack of their offensive power and their ability to unnerve the opponents with their dribbling will not cut the team more than it benefits from their defensive use. Because as an alternative, there is a right-back in the squad in Frankfurt’s Sophia Kleinherne, who has match practice in this position. But under Voss-Tecklenburg, the 23-year-old has not yet been part of the permanent staff. The national coach gave up the experiment of retraining striker Nicole Anyomi as a right-back after the European Championship, and the 23-year-old is now nominated for the offensive. Much to the liking of the woman from Frankfurt, who said in an interview with ntv.de in September: “I feel much more comfortable up front and I have more freedom there.”
Read on Friday how the DFB team is doing in midfield and attack.