No Champions League, a new coach and many new faces in the team. Turbine Potsdam is relying more on talent than stars and a returnee in the new season.
That’s how last season went
Two days before the end of the 2021/22 season, things were still looking good for 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam in the women’s Bundesliga. 3rd place in the table behind the champions from Munich and the cup winners from Wolfsburg, three points behind the pursuers from Frankfurt. But two defeats later (0:2 against Eintracht Frankfurt and 0:5 at Bayern Munich), the traditional club from Brandenburg found themselves in fourth place in the table. That meant no participation in international business.
In the DFB Cup, the turbines reached the final and kept the chance of a title. But in Cologne the wolves clearly showed the Havelstadt women the limits. At 0:4, Turbine Potsdam had no chance of winning. The club and coach Sofian Chahed then parted ways. The coach’s departure was followed a little later by President Rolf Kutzmutz, who had spoken out against separating from Chahed. The club, spoiled by success, was again faced with a major change in personnel.
who went
Turbine had to cope with fourteen departures, as well as the loss of coach Chahed and President Kutzmutz. They will sorely miss the two attackers Selina Cerci (for 1. FC Köln) and Melissa Kössler (for TSG Hoffenheim) in Potsdam. Both players had scored 23 of the 52 goals this season – someone else has to do that job now. A look at the other departures and their new sporting home also reveals that the glory of the old days has long since expired at the Brandenburg club.
The Slovenian defender Sara Agrez, who made the leap from her youth to the professional team, will play for VfL Wolfsburg in the new season. Her former teammate Merle Barth moved to Atletico Madrid, Malgorzata Mesjasz to AC Milan, for example.
Other departures: Karen Holmgaard (Everton FC), Marie Höbinger (FC Zurich), Zala Mersnik (Sporting de Huelva), Gina Chmielinski (FC Rosengard), Luca Graf (RB Leipzig), Dina Orschmann (Rangers WFC), Lena Uebach (1 . FC Cologne)
who came
In order to fill the gap of the many departures, Turbine Potsdam relies on many young players and one returnee. Midfielder Jennifer Cramer should use her experience to quickly form the many newcomers into a team. The former international almost mothballed her football boots and is now returning to her training club. The 29-year-old played for Turbine for ten years. “As an older player, I have to take responsibility,” she says, and she knew from the start what she was getting into.
There are high hopes for 18-year-old Israeli international Noa Selimhodzic, who moved to Havel from Milan. Attacker Amber Barret, who was brought in from Cologne, and Laura Radke from third division club VfL Bochum (16 goals in 28 games) should also fill the gaps left by Cerci and Kössler up front.
Other new signings: Maya Hahn(Oregon Ducks), Noemi Gentile(SC Sand), Mollie Rouse(London City Lionesses), Amy König(BFC Dynamo), Mai Kyokawa(INAC Kobe Leonessa), Jil Frehse(Alemannia Aachen), Martyna Wiankowska( Czarni Sosnowiec), Adrienne Jordan(SC Sand), Louisa Aniwaa(Ghana Police FC), Sonia O’Neill(ZNK Split), Wibke Meister(Turbine Potsdam II), Pauline Deutsch(Turbine Potsdam II), Alisa Grincenco(Turbine Potsdam II )
Restart with bushy beard
Women’s Bundesliga team Turbine Potsdam is in the middle of a major upheaval. After many departures in the team and in the club, the new coach Sebastian Middeke is starting the pre-season. By Dennis Wiesemore
The trainer
With Sebastian Middeke, Turbine Potsdam has hired a coach who is very familiar with the youth field but has no experience in managing a top team. He started as an assistant coach in 2016 with the professional team of the women’s team from SV Meppen, three years later he looked after the second team and the B juniors. In February 2021, Middekke took over the second division side SpVg Berghofen and was relegated to the regional league.
Now the 38-year-old faces the challenging task of helping a groaning traditional club get back on its feet. For him, the development of every single player at Turbine is the top priority.
The expectations
In Potsdam nobody is talking about the Champions League or attacking the top of the Bundesliga any more. “We want to play passionate football and have to integrate the many new players into the team,” said Turbine’s coach Middeke. “That’s a board we have to do there,” he continues. The aim is to establish oneself in midfield and to have nothing to do with relegation as quickly as possible.
Secure midfield, that’s what veteran Cramer says. “We have to grow together first and then put our performance on the pitch as a team.” How difficult that will be was already shown in the second round of the DFB Cup, when Turbine Potsdam led 2-0 in the Berlin-Brandenburg duel at third division team Viktoria, but only won on penalties. For Middeke, however, that was the first small step in development: Because only in moments like this can a real team made up of many new individual players grow together. The first test in the league is on Sunday at 4 p.m. in Bremen.
Broadcast: rbb24 inforadio, September 17, 2022, 10:16 a.m
