Up until Friday morning, things had looked as promising as possible when it came to the selection of the German Football Association (DFB). Joti Chatzialexiou put the probability that the DFB women’s squad could be fully available in the second game of this World Cup at “95 percent”. Lena Oberdorf, Sjoeke Nüsken and Marina Hegering have made significant progress, the sporting director of the national teams said. Their complaints have largely subsided.
During training on Friday morning, however, another regular player got it: Felicitas Rauch, who played on the left side of defense in the 6-0 opening win against Morocco, suffered a sprained right knee joint and, according to the DFB, will be out “indefinitely”. Instead of the 27-year-old from VfL Wolfsburg, either Sophia Kleinherne or the internationally inexperienced Chantal Hagel will appear.
In view of the personal setback, it would be helpful if the trio who were injured last were able to play. In the case of Lena Oberdorf, it was a muscle lesion in her thigh that prevented her from taking part in the 6-0 win against Morocco, Sjoeke Nüsken was out of shape recently due to a ligament strain in her knee, and Marina Hegering has been struggling with a bruise on her heel since the end of June , which she got from being kicked by an opponent in the friendly against Zambia. Each of the trio has their particular strengths in guarding the zone in front of goalkeeper Merle Frohms, provided their health is good.
Sjoeke Nüsken, who is only 22 years old, was promoted to a central defender of international stature at Eintracht Frankfurt last season considered the ultimate.
Marina Hegering, at 33 the oldest player in the DFB squad, and Lena Oberdorf, eleven years her junior, are under contract with VfL Wolfsburg and have plenty of international experience to show for themselves. The two were originally included in the national coach’s World Cup plans as defensive heavyweights because their physicality adds a facet to the team’s repertoire that not many competitors have to offer.
you or her? Sara Doorsoun (left) and Marina Hegering. : Image: picture alliance/dpa
Martina Voss-Tecklenburg will, however, announced before the second group game that she will not take any risks with the line-up and will coordinate with the DFB doctors in all cases. “That would be stupid,” replied the national coach when asked whether she was prepared to use players who weren’t completely fit for her tactical considerations, “we want to stay here longer and have more plans.”
This Sunday, their selection in Sydney meets Colombia (11.30 a.m., ARD). And after everything that the association’s scouting department has learned about the previously largely unknown competitor since the World Cup draw, he has a lot more to offer than the 18-year-old “child prodigy” Linda Caicedo. Coach Nelson Abadia’s squad finished second at the South American Championship on home soil, and even on that occasion it struck some as uncomfortable that the team approached the game with a temper that pushed the boundaries of what was allowed – and at times went beyond.
The German camp agrees that it will be a test for mind and body that will be more difficult to accomplish than opening the tournament against the North Africans from Morocco. Martina Voss-Tecklenburg announced that after the first step “which we had planned to do”, her team will now be prepared in the hours before kick-off for the possibility of a game against the Colombians in which Sometimes things get a bit more violent: “As far as their mentality is concerned, we have to be prepared for a lot,” she told the FAZ, “they have a good physique and can really hurt you.”
It is important to visualize this in advance in order to keep your nerves in front of the expected 40,000 spectators and to be able to implement your own ideas. In principle, this tournament is about “acting cleverly and avoiding stupid yellow cards,” she said, “we want to stay emotionally with us”.
Contributing to their confidence in their own strength is that the squad offers opportunities for variation, which helps to adapt to changing situations such as Rauch’s injury. With Sara Doorsoun, alongside Kathrin Hendrich from Wolfsburg, there is an athletic player available for the central post in the back four, who has the advantages of being able to sprint quickly and tackle duels consistently.
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The national coach emphasized Doorsoun’s contribution to the successful start of the World Cup: “She has really good energy,” said Martina Voss-Tecklenburg. “It is clear to us that it will only develop towards 100 percent in the course of the tournament.” A victory on Sunday can create planning security early on, so that it will definitely continue beyond the preliminary round. Whether the injured Felicitas Rauch can still be planned for the World Cup remains questionable for the time being.
