It has become comparatively calm about Martina Voss-Tecklenburg. The discounts of the messed up world championship with the 2023 women’s national team in Australia, speculation about their state of health, the turbulence for their separation from the German Football Association-all of this is now a year and a half ago.
But only sitting as a observer in the stadium or as an expert in the television studio is Voss-Tecklenburg too little, as the 57-year-old indicated in an interview with the specialist magazine “Kicker”. “As a former national coach, the question arises of what can come afterwards. It’s a bit of something in motion. The chapter trainer has not yet been completed”she said.
“There were four offers last year, but it didn’t fit for different reasons. I also had one or two inquiries whether I wanted to work as a consultant. I have dealt with it, but when I decide, I have to take 100 percent – not just 80 or 90”according to Voss-Tecklenburg, who continue “Listen to everything” want.
Trainers of the top clubs sit firmly in the saddle
The problem: In the top clubs in the women’s Bundesliga, the Norwegian Alexander Straus (Bavaria Munich), the Tommy Stroot (VfL Wolfsburg) and the longest service Coach Niko Arnautis (Eintracht Frankfurt) firmly in the saddle. There were still the way that Sabrina Wittmann has taken, who has been working in men’s football at the third division club FC Ingolstadt since summer 2024.
Or will a job abroad be interesting for the football teacher native to Straelen near the Dutch borders? “MVT” had been very successful from 2012 to 2018 and worked deeply into the improvement of the structures, which today benefits Pia Sundhage, which prepares the federal selection for the European European Championship (July 2 to 27).
Everything has been clarified with the DFB
Voss-Tecklenburg has now given the departure at the DFB. “We would have liked it all differently, but I don’t have a resentment. We pushed a lot together and achieved. This does not break through the separation“, she said and added: “It is clear that I was injured at the personal level at first. And in emotionality I tend to see things so objectively. But I tried to take the other perspective and understand where information may have been missing. I am aware that I did not do everything right and there were irritation.”
In return, she will not forget the wonderful moments – something at the EM 2022 in England. After the disastrous preliminary round out of the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, after five years as a national coach, it was almost inevitably ended by more and more atmospheric moods that were in the Australian wasteland in the village Wyong had accumulated. The choice of the neighborhood turned out to be an error. The DFB team lives in the middle of Zurich at the European Championship in Switzerland. But also the personnel and tactical measures no longer fit at their last tournament.
A praise for Christian Wück’s style of play
Meanwhile, the former national coach is looking at Christian Wück’s work full of recognition. “I love this football, which Christian Wück is now playing. I like to take a risk and accept mistakes. But there are also games in which something else is asked. If the opponent is called Spain or the Netherlands, you have to play differently.” Her prime example is the second World Cup group game against Colombia in Sydney been: “We didn’t want to take the 1-1 with us, had the feeling that we could shoot the 2: 1, and then get the 1: 2. And then you stand there!”
Just like Voss-Tecklenburg, Wück had recently complained about the lack of consistency of the national team. The repetitive weaknesses of the defensive are not a coincidence, explains the ex-national coach: “First of all, we have to look at the youth work. Where are our players trained? We have focused on ball-oriented defense behavior: technology, pass sequence, possession of the ball. We have gone away from training one-on-one situations or box defense. It is therefore about blocking shots and-in quotation marks-to play dirty. This is basic work that has to be done in the clubs.”
Opponent of the increase
Speaking of clubs. Voss-Tecklenburg does little to think of the women’s Bundesliga, which has been playing with twelve clubs so far, next season. “I think it is too early. The question is: do we have enough good players for 14 clubs? I would have stayed with twelve teams and have worked on strengthening the second division teams so that the step into the Bundesliga is not too big.”
There will be three promoters this season – the 1. FC Nürnberg, Union Berlin and SV Meppen are currently on the promotion places. “Of course you increase the range, and we will probably also encourage the clubs and the respective environment to do more, improve structures, enlarge the teams of coaches and to train even more professionally”said the former national coach, but points out: “The sporting must always be in the first place. So you have to ask yourself: if we are only about visibility? Or is it our quality? What should not be forgotten: the strain is already increasing anyway. The increase will be more games – and I believe that there will also be new competitions internationally, because everything that happens in men’s football will also be received by us.”