The women in white swept Denmark 4-0. The Scandinavians were overwhelmed with the German pressure. The pressing worked right from the start, and the 1-0 came about thanks to a high ball win in the opposing penalty area. The match plan of the national coach worked. Germany pushed Denmark into their own half, controlling the ball and opponents and, above all, making sure that superstar Pernille Harder did not come into play.
Striker Lea Schüller enthused on ZDF: “We played ourselves into a frenzy. Our attack pressing worked very well. A 4-0 in the first game is outstanding.” In an interview with the SID, Voss-Tecklenburg also praised the other parts of the team: “It was great teamwork in all directions. We had a great defensive spirit and a great transition game. We were very happy to help each other and then hurt the opponent.”
Finally a preparation
Quite a few spoke at the 4-0 about the best game in Voss-Tecklenburg’s tenure. She has been in office since the end of November 2018, and the World Cup ended around half a year later with a knockout in the quarterfinals. The euphoria about the new trainer had evaporated. Difficult months and years followed. The corona pandemic and injuries to key players ensured that the team under Voss-Tecklenburg never showed a clear face. A lot had to be rotated and exchanged, the line-up was rarely constant.
There were four changes in the starting XI between the last game of 2021 (World Cup qualifiers away in Portugal) and the first of 2022 (World Cup qualifiers at home against Portugal). Between the second Portugal game and said defeat to Serbia another five.
Due to the changeable appearances, Germany was only one of the favorites among betting providers before the start of the European Championship. Spain, England, France, the Netherlands and Sweden were seen more strongly. The performance against Denmark – by the way, only two places behind Germany in terms of betting providers – will possibly change this assessment.
For national coach Voss-Tecklenburg, the 4-0 was not a big surprise, but a logical consequence: “We simply had a preparation time. It was a difficult year with many failures and problems. I am very happy that with the support of the clubs We had the opportunity to meet early on. We managed the preparations well. The time in Herzogenaurach with lots of discussions also meant that this team grew and strengthened tremendously.”
What does victory mean?
Despite all the euphoria about the victory, the German national team is aware that the strongest group opponent is only now coming. With Spain, a top favorite for the European Championship title awaits the DFB selection on Tuesday. Even without superstar Alexia Putellas from FC Barcelona, ”La Roja” showed against Finland on Friday why she is so feared.