Martina Voss-Tecklenburg is also hoping for a surprise effect from the German national team at the European Women’s Football Championship in England.
“Other nations don’t know exactly what we’re capable of at the moment. That can be a huge advantage for us and we have to use it to our advantage. That’s how we’re going about it,” said the national coach in an interview with “Süddeutsche Newspaper”.
Eight times the DFB women won the European title – a record. “I don’t think any nation will ever do that again,” said the 54-year-old, who flies to London with the team on July 3 after a few days off. In the preliminary round, the matches against Denmark (July 8th), Spain (July 12th) and Finland (July 16th) are scheduled.
“Without wanting to belittle the achievements of previous years: the level is tactically, technically, athletically much higher,” said the national coach about the current status of the world’s best, where Germany is not yet again, but wants to go back. “That’s our job and I want to win the DFB title as a coach. But it’s gotten more difficult and a lot of people haven’t realized it yet,” she said.
Many would expect that the German soccer players have to win every tournament. “It’s important to me that it’s clear: It will be very close at this European Championship and it will also depend on the luck of the game and the little things. We will have cool opponents who can really do something. The overall picture has to be seen and evaluated objectively. Then we can each other talk about it at the end: How was it now?”
For Voss-Tecklenburg it is the second major tournament as the person responsible for the DFB selection. Her international premiere as a DFB coach ended bitterly three years ago: At the World Cup in France, the German women failed in the quarter-finals against Sweden and thus also missed the Olympic Games in Tokyo.