The 1: 4 against Sweden at the end of the European Championship group phase left their mark on the DFB women. Can Germany exist against the strong French women in the quarter -finals? Sports director Nia Künzer firmly believes in it.
The 45-year-old presented himself confidently and aggressively on Monday afternoon at the DFB media center in Zurich. The world champion of 2003 parried questions about hers “First tournament in this function” Simply with the demand: “Is it really my first tournament?” At the Olympic Games, she was already in a responsible role when Germany won bronze. If you have any questions about listing and tactics, she said “I’m not the national coach” “; And when the free Monday was critically questioned for the team: “Every player can do what she wants. And even if they are very professional, you can laugh.”
The players should continue to appear confident and aggressive – despite the bitter damper against Sweden. Künzer is convinced that many opponents “impressed” It was likely to have been how the DFB women would have pushed the Swedes in the back in the early minutes. It is therefore not a question of throwing everything over the pile and from the “Very active style of play” to move down under Christian Wück.
As the national coach had already said, it must be thought about a better (counter) defense. False passes and light ball losses “Have hurt us against Sweden”.
DFB President Neuendorf demanded more consistency
Wück had been Künzer’s desired candidate for the successor of coach Horst Hrubesch. Because he “Developing players and shaping a team, the tournament wins”the sports director said it last year. The fact that he lacks the experience in women’s football should be painful. Especially since Wück, as the father of two daughters, already knows the correct handling.
And Künzer, on the other hand, only signed a new contract with the DFB in June in order to further promote the positive developments from their first one and a half years in the job. The management for women’s football, which was first introduced at the DFB, is to illustrate the increased importance of women’s football in Germany, Bernd Neuendorf only underlined again in Zurich last week. With it the DFB President also connected the memory that the women “Should come back to the road to success permanently”.
Now, after the historically bad World Cup in Australia, for the record European champion, as with the European Championship in the Netherlands 2017 and the 2019 World Cup in France, the end of the quarter -finals threatens. The team also reached the European Championship final in England 2022 before the Olympics. Neuendorf’s emphasis on “permanently” However, the conclusion that he is primarily concerned with the lost consistency is.
Quarter -finals against difficult opponents – was already certain
Künzer made it clear on Monday that they will continue to “Competitive” sees. The team around captain Janina Minge is doing everything to be successful. After the game, the players were disappointed, one “Mourning mood” But didn’t hesitate. After all, it was still in the tournament and it was already clear with the draw that a difficult task would wait with France or England in the quarter -finals.
Team drives themselves the most
In other words, nothing bad has (yet) happens. But on Saturday (9 p.m.) it depends. In the duel among top nations, the day form or the game happiness always decides, explained Künzer. However, it is certain for you that the DFB women then again “Have to leave 100 percent of their potential on the pitch”.
Hope you give them “intrinsic motivation” of the players. They would not need it at all, through external circumstances or critics into a To be transferred “now-first law” mood. “The girls want to prove themselves”emphasized Künzer. “You know about the chance that such an EM quarter-finals brings. You are your biggest drive yourself.”
The preparation for France begins on Tuesday morning – with the training and the still outstanding analysis of the Sweden game. The positive should also be emphasized again. But it will only be shown on Saturday in Basel what a confident and aggressive German team is able to do against the French.