Eintracht Frankfurt: pdifficult start after merger
After the merger of seven-time German champions 1. FFC Frankfurt with Eintracht in August 2020, the new team got off to a rocky start. At the end of the first season as Eintracht, they were in sixth place and more than 30 points behind the champions, a mediocre place – despite reaching the DFB Cup final, no real improvement on FFC’s previous seasons.
This season the knot seems to have finally come undone. The Frankfurters seem more experienced, more consistent and almost always have the upper hand, especially against teams that don’t play at the top.
For striker Lara Prasnikar, who switched from Turbine Potsdam to the Main in 2020, this is the result of a mental change. “We have moved closer together and are further in our heads. That makes the difference”she says in an interview with the sports show.
But is that enough to get involved in the race for the title? “If you ask around in my team, many would probably answer yes, like me”, emphasizes the Slovenian international. Even reaching the Champions League would certainly be considered a success.
Hoffenheim: Aon the way to the top team
This dream came true for TSG Hoffenheim last year. Even if you failed there in the preliminary round with the same number of points as second in the table, TSG presented themselves well at their European premiere.
Nicole Billa, who has been a stormer for Hoffenheim since 2015, has played a large part in the success. As top scorer, Germany’s footballer of the year and Austria’s footballer of the year 2021, she crowned an outstanding year – and then rejected various offers to change.
“Of course there were offers, but after the season it was clear to me: I have achieved a long-term goal with this team and I want to continue on this path with the team.”so the 25-year-old compared to the sports show.
Long-term establishment
The multiple burden of the Champions League and English weeks doesn’t seem to have bothered TSG much. In the entire first half of the season, coach Gabor Gallai’s team only had to admit defeat to FC Bayern and was able to beat the other two competitors from Wolfsburg and Frankfurt.
Hoffenheim seems to have finally established itself in the top group of the league. For the Austrian Billa, the reason for this lies in a long-term development: “You can tell that the younger ones also get the chance to develop further with us, often making it from the youth team to us and being able to establish themselves there. That’s also something where I say: something has to be right.”
The best example of this: midfield talent Jule Brand, who has quickly played her way into the first team via the U17s and U20s since 2018 and is now one of the top performers there.
More excitement through good development
The current situation in the women’s Bundesliga is not only exciting, it also shows the positive development of the league. Professionalism and good youth work mean that more clubs can catch up with the once unattainable from Munich and Wolfsburg.
Even if this process is still in its infancy: In the long run, this will ensure more excitement in the league and make the games even more attractive. This is also an interesting path for the female footballer of the year: “You can tell that many clubs are now investing and making the whole thing more professional. Of course, Bayern and Wolfsburg have more budgets than others, but who knows. I find it exciting.”