Status: 1:45 p.m
Martina Voss-Tecklenburg has been the coach of the German national team since November 2018. She succeeded Horst Hrubesch
Source: pa/dpa/Frank Rumpenhorst
The preparation of the women’s national team for the European Championships in England is in the hot phase. The national coach played it safe when calling up the squad. Martina Voss-Tecklenburg focused primarily on the league greats VfL Wolfsburg and FC Bayern.
AEight players from the VfL Wolfsburg women’s team are represented in the extended squad for the European Championship. Before the final EM squad was announced in mid-June, national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg nominated captain Alexandra Popp (113 international matches) and 20-year-old midfielder Lena Oberdorf (26 games), as the German Football Association announced on Tuesday. Almuth Schult (goal), Kathrin Hendrich, Felicitas Rauch (defense), Svenja Huth, Lena Lattwein (midfield) and Tabea Waßmuth (attack) are also there.
Eight players from runners-up FC Bayern Munich are also planned for the provisional squad. At the “Pre-Camp” in Frankfurt from June 5th to 9th, the wobbly candidates of the DFB team will then fight for their own ticket for the European Championships in England. Due to VfL’s cup success, seven women from Wolfsburg will be missing.
However, the experienced midfielder Popp will already take part in the camp. “Alexandra Popp has decided to be there in Frankfurt, she will arrive on June 6th and train individually,” said Voss-Tecklenburg.
Wolfsburg is as dominant as FC Bayern for men
The Werkself of VfL Wolfsburg is the measure of all things in women’s football, strengthened by the millions from the VW group. The series champion just effortlessly won the DFB Cup against Turbine Potsdam. “It was David versus Goliath,” said Turbine coach Sofian Chahed, commenting on the course of the largely one-sided final.
The 4-0 win was the highest final victory since FCR Duisburg beat Potsdam 7-0 in 2009 and equaled 1. FFC Frankfurt’s record with a total of nine cup wins. An impressive second half of the season with only one defeat in the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona (1:5) helped the Wolfsburg team to their sixth double after 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. “You can see that they are developing even more conviction” , the national coach said after the end of the game.
The Wolfsburg dominance does not seem to be broken. According to many experts, there could be a similarly large gap among women in the future as among men with FC Bayern as sole ruler. The Munich women’s team, runners-up this season, only has the role of chasing.
Goalkeeper Almuth Schult meanwhile has to queue up behind her rival Merle Frohms in the German national team before the European Championships. “Merle has been number one for three years. Therefore, nothing will change in this status,” emphasized Voss-Tecklenburg on Tuesday when the squad was announced
Olympic champion Schult from VfL Wolfsburg recently expressed hopes of a return between the posts and said: “I want to make the decision as difficult as possible for the national coach. I don’t see that the decision is already set in stone.”
After the birth of her twins, the 31-year-old has been part of the DFB selection for some time. Schult moves to Angel City FC in Los Angeles in the USA after the European Championship. The successor to the 64-time national player in Wolfsburg is Frohms of all people.
The 27-year-old last played for Eintracht Frankfurt for two years, but began her Bundesliga career in Wolfsburg. “Merle has performed very, very well to outstandingly with us, which is why Merle is going into the tournament as number one,” said Voss-Tecklenburg with a view to the European Championship.
The departure for the 23-man squad is scheduled for July 3. In the group stage, Germany will meet Denmark (July 8) and Spain (July 12) in Brentford and Finland in Milton Keynes (July 16).
