Despite the tense situation before the World Cup group final, national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg does not consider it necessary to act as a “clown during breaks”. The 55-year-old wants to say that the mood is not yet in the basement with the German footballers.
A win against South Korea on Thursday is needed more than just to brighten the mood, so that the DFB team can safely reach the round of 16 and prevent an early trip home. The dream of the third World Cup star after 2003 and 2007 has receded into the background given the tremors at the end of the preliminary round. “We have to win now. I believe that the pressure is always a bit necessary to get your performance up,” said midfield clearer Lena Oberdorf.
Oberdorf: “Want to reach the round of 16”
“We from Wolfsburg know this situation from the Champions League. We go in there, we want to win and of course we want to make it into the round of 16,” added the 21-year-old, who always resolutely leads the way on the pitch. Despite the sobering 2-1 draw against Colombia, the DFB selection can progress with a win on Thursday (12:00 p.m. CEST/ZDF) in Brisbane. A draw might even suffice. Even a loss by a maximum of four goals against a goalless and winless South Korea would be enough if Colombia beat Morocco in Group H.
The runners-up European champions would have liked to have spared themselves such arithmetic games after their easy 6-0 opening win against Morocco. And the DFB entourage is warned: An embarrassment like that of Joachim Löw’s men in Russia in 2018, when the South Koreans threw the defending champion out of the tournament 2-0 early, is a warning to everyone.
In any case, the German selection can no longer achieve the originally targeted group victory on their own. “We’re mostly in a good mood,” assured Voss-Tecklenburg at the final press conference before the game against the Asians, and went on: “I can only emphasize it again and again: we have such a good team spirit, we address things clearly , we address them critically, but we also address them factually. We keep to ourselves. We win together, we lose together, and we take the next steps together.” The coach had previously emphasized that her players were “very, very self-critical”.
Nevertheless, the question arises as to whether the DFB selection really has the form and class to play for the title as announced. Not only the failed tests against Vietnam (2: 1) and Zambia (2: 3) had raised doubts. The game against Colombia also showed that there is often a lack of ideas on offense and that the defense is vulnerable given the many absentees.
Defense chief Hegering is ready again
“Play faster, make better decisions,” said assistant coach Britta Carlson. It’s about “getting more into the penalty area, having a higher presence on the offensive and then going through with it”. That concerns the attacking midfielders Lina Magull and Sara Däbritz as well as the wingers Jule Brand and Klara Bühl. It is possible that Voss-Tecklenburg will use Munich’s Lea Schüller as a striker against South Korea and let the captain Alexandra Popp, who has already been successful three times in the tournament, play withdrawn.
After all, for the first time at this World Cup, the German team can rely on their regular defense boss Marina Hegering. Voss-Tecklenburg didn’t want to commit to her starting position, but said: “It means a lot that Marina is back on the training ground in such a way that she can fully perform. So we’re happy that Marina is now absolutely able to play .”
After Hegering trained fully with the team and Frankfurt’s Sara Doorsoun is missing due to a muscle injury in her thigh, the 33-year-old from VfL Wolfsburg is considered set. Hegering had been suffering from a bruised heel for a long time. Chantal Hagel is expected to replace Felicitas Rauch, who has to take a break due to a sprained knee.
