Germany is a nation that must be counted among the favorites for the European Football Championship in terms of the squad alone. It hasn’t just been like this since this tournament. What the German footballers often had problems with in the past was mental strength. If they fell behind, they rarely managed to turn the game around again. For example at the last World Cup, when they lost 2-1 to Sweden in the quarter-finals after leading 1-0.
National coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg often watched the game and said at the press conference before leaving for England: “Maybe I overwhelmed one or the other.” But that has gotten better now. We have gathered a lot of knowledge and have grown together. A confession that gives hope. On the fact that the team has found itself.
Due to the absenteeism of the experienced Melanie Leupolz, who is pregnant, and Dzsenifer Marozsan (torn cruciate ligament), the task may not have become any easier, but perhaps a little more exciting. The squad is a colorful mix of many young players and some experienced professionals. It will be Voss-Tecklenburg’s task to form a unit from this that brings their playful potential to the pitch.
Merle Frohms, who will switch to VfL Wolfsburg after the European Championship, is the goalkeeper. The 27-year-old has developed into the absolute top keeper in Frankfurt, replacing Almuth Schult as number one. With her experience and presence off the pitch, Schult remains an enormously important pillar of the team. The trio is completed by Ann-Katrin Berger, who is currently the third player in the squad alongside Sara Däbritz and Schult to earn her money abroad, at Chelsea.
If you had to identify a weakness in the squad, it would probably be the outside positions at the back. Quality is also there, it’s more about the quantity. A central defender has been retrained in Felicitas Rauch, who will probably play on the left side.
In cooperation with her club, VfL Wolfsburg, she worked on the conversion early on, which has made her a permanent fixture. Rauch’s strengths are more on the defensive, but with good crosses and set pieces she is also able to create chances.
On the other hand, Bayern’s Giulia Gwinn will defend, one of the discoveries of the World Cup three years ago. Nicole Anyomi is another player who has had to relocate at DFB, with Eintracht Frankfurt playing the 22-year-old in midfield. However, so that Voss-Tecklenburg can fall back on another option in this position, she has already let Anyomi play in defense.
In the last friendly against Switzerland, the central defender duo Kathrin Hendrich and Marina Hegering could be relied on. For a long time, Hegering was a shaky candidate, as the future Wolfsburg player was rarely used at Bayern last season due to injury. Hendrich had a strong season at Wolfsburg and is also seeded. In addition to the two, Voss-Tecklenburg has more than adequate replacements in Sophia Kleinherne and Sara Doorsoun.
The German team is very variable in midfield and on the offensive – also tactically. What stands is the double six with Lena Oberdorf and Sara Däbritz, both of whom can control a game.
Oberdorf is very young at 20, but impresses with her physical presence and brings tournament experience from the 2019 World Cup. The 27-year-old Däbritz is one of the top performers and was able to take part in team training again on Wednesday after muscular problems. If Däbritz cannot play, Lena Lattwein from Wolfsburg is available as a replacement.
On the left wing there will be no way around the only 21-year-old Klara Bühl. She showed her top form in the 7-0 win against Switzerland with three goals and an assist. In addition, Svenja Huth will be particularly important on the offensive. The Wolfsburg native was one of the best players of the season and will lead the team onto the pitch as captain.
Huth and Lina Magull, who is responsible for creativity with her outstanding skills on the ball, will have to fill the gap left by Leupolz and Marozsan. Voss-Tecklenburg is spoiled for choice on offense, because with Linda Dallmann, Jule Brand and the two Wolfsburg players Alexandra Popp and Tabea Waßmuth, there are alternatives that other nations can only dream of.
In attack, the national coach has very different players at her disposal. While Lea Schüller, top scorer in the Bundesliga and one of the players with the strongest headers at the European Championships, and Alex Popp tend to act as strikers, Laura Freigang and Sydney Lohmann have their strengths as hanging strikers. Depending on the line-up, Germany’s game system will change, which makes the team difficult to assess for their opponents.
The DFB team will therefore start with a strong squad and the prerequisites for a successful tournament are in place. Voss-Tecklenburg made a conscious decision to only do one test before the European Championships in order to leave more room for training and to find one another as a team.
The 7-0 win over Switzerland was a complete success, but it shouldn’t be seen as a yardstick. In the end, it will depend on how the German soccer players perform mentally – and whether they don’t let themselves be thrown off track even when the game is difficult.