After the almost perfect start to the tournament, Germany meets Spain in the second group game of the European Championship, which is weak in replacements. The winner of the duel already makes it perfect for the quarter-finals.
The team of national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg seems to have found the way between self-confident and humble appearance before the duel with the Iberians. “We know we can beat any opponent and want to win all three group games,” said goalkeeper Merle Frohms. The 4-0 win over Denmark impressively showed what the team is capable of. However, defender Marina Hegering warned against the Spaniards: “They will challenge us very differently.”
The Spanish selection should be a different house number than Denmark even without the injured absent Alexia Putellas and Jennifer Hermoso. “They still have a great team,” emphasized Voss-Tecklenburg. “We have to face the Spaniards without forgetting our game. The opponents have to find ways to stop us if we play like that again.”
Rauch: Signs have not changed much
Due to the sovereign appearance against the Danes, the German team is perceived completely differently in public. Not much has changed for the players themselves, however. “I counted us among the favorites from the start,” emphasized left-back Felicitas Rauch. And the duel with Spain didn’t get any other signs either: “When two such big nations meet, there is always respect – on both sides.”
Künzer assumes a changed match plan
And yet something decisive has changed compared to the recent appearance at the European Championship and World Cup. “Germany started the tournament very tensely,” said ARD expert Nia Künzer. “And to be honest, this tension didn’t go away until the end.”
At the 2017 European Championships under the then national coach Steffi Jones and at the 2019 World Cup, the first tournament under Voss-Tecklenburg, the team never managed to show what they can do. “But we really managed to do that against Denmark – with great intensity and exciting football.”
Germany showed exciting football against Denmark.
Künzer firmly expects the national coach to adjust her match plan. “The Spaniards have the quality to play around the high pressing – and then it can be dangerous,” explained the 2003 world champion. “At the same time, Germany must have access to the game, otherwise the players will be chasing the ball all the time.” With 28 degrees predicted in London in the evening, probably not a very pleasant idea.
Focus on central defenders Hegering and Hendrich
Hegering is very aware of the dangers: “We have to play very good pressing and remain compact because the Spaniards like to play with their short passing game,” warned the defender, who switched from FC Bayern Munich to VfL Wolfsburg after the European Championship.
There she will defend alongside Kathrin Hendrich, as she did at this European Championship. The fact that there was a clean sheet against Denmark was also thanks to this duo and it was no coincidence. “We complement each other very well,” said Hendrich, who brings in a lot of speed. Your partner is still a bit stronger in one-on-one combat and, above all, with a header.
And there, too, the German defense could be called upon. Because the Iberians, who otherwise tend to carry the ball into the goal, surprisingly scored three of their four goals with a header against Finland (4:1). “They can do that now too,” said Künzer, laughing.
Magull and Lohmann slightly damaged
At the weekend, Lina Magull (thigh problems) and Sydney Lohmann (slight knee problems) only trained moderately. That was purely a precautionary measure, said the DFB. As a precaution, Magull allowed himself to be substituted in the first group game.
The player of the match against Denmark also wants to lead again against the Spaniards. “We sent a really strong signal and at the same time set the bar very high,” said Magull. “We should continue to focus on ourselves, because it’s really fun when we perform as a team.”