The national coach’s summer announcement that every player could become important has come true. 22-year-old Carlotta Wamser and 21-year-old Franziska Kett had to spontaneously step in for injured teammates at the European Championships – and fulfilled their tasks so well that they have been an integral part of the team ever since. Camilla Küver, 22, and Shekiera Martinez, 24, only made their debut in the last knockout games and also impressed. Wück has formed a flexible team that has more variability than previous top-class squads around long-standing top performers such as Alexandra Popp and Marina Hegering.
Despite the disappointment over the lost final, we must now look forward. Exploiting opportunities remains a construction site, as does the question of whether Germany can survive for 90 minutes against a world-class team like Spain. But the direction is right. Wück and his team are on schedule. Great things can happen there.
Germany has recently reached the top of the world again. If developments continue like this, this team will soon no longer just be knocking, but will be pushing the door wide open.