Football Championship: Schüller does not want to be a popp: DFB scorer demands

Lea Schüller does not even want to be compared to the long-time German star striker. “I will never replace an Alexandra Popp. I’m not such a captain type, I’m just not like Poppi,” says the striker of the German footballers. At the European Championship in Switzerland, the 27 -year -old from FC Bayern with two goals in the target – and still went down a bit.

That should change in the quarterfinals on Saturday against France (9:00 p.m./ZDF and DAZN). Even if the eight -time title winner does not want to fly out of the tournament against the previously strong co -favorites.

“Incredibly important player”

“We want to bring Lea into play, she is an incredibly important player, makes goals with very few contacts,” said midfielder Sjoeke Nüsken on the game in Basel. “If we can do our flank quality even better that we better stage Lea, then we hope that it will score more goals.”

For the coaching team, the topic “focus”, as Maren Meinert, assistant to national coach Christian Wück, assures. In the national team, Schüller has an “incredible quota” (sports director Nia Künzer). One of which Wück said that as a professional he was only able to dream of it: 78 caps, 54 goals.

If there is a double pack or even (as happened twice), it says: It has “shuffled” again – based on Bayern legend Gerd Müller. The world champion from 1974 scored 68 times in 62 international matches.

With Popp, in whose shade it stood for a long time, Schüller only connects the header strength as a player type. The Munich native is considered athletic, with a sense of rooms, as a final. “What I get mirrored by coach is that I have become a little more variable in my game, not just header, and maybe a little more unpredictable for the opponent,” explains the ex-Esser. “Usually I was a player who avoided duels, just ran down more.”

Schüller is “extremely fast”

Schüller brings everything for Popp. “She is extremely fast -I am not -bilateral, also strong in the header. In her speed, she has a tendency to cut down into the depth,” said the former captain and EM heroine of 2022 in the “Copa TS”. In the past few months, Schüller has more accommodated the ball with his back to the goal. Basically, she is happy “that you can simply say: I’m gone now, but someone is there,” said Popp.

Nevertheless, the European Championship for Schüller is not really round. The Munich woman has a strikingly few ball contacts, which is also due to the not so precise crossing of the outdoor players Klara Bühl, Jule Brand or Sarai Linder. And because as a ball distributor on the ten neither Linda Dallmann nor Laura convinced.

If the substitute threatens – then it meets

Nevertheless, Schüller scored 2-0 against Poland and 2-1 against Denmark – curiously in the 66th minute. “I also don’t know what’s going on with Lea,” joked Wück. “I think she realizes that if we think about it outside, she can change her, then she just scores a goal and then goes out.” In the 1: 4 against Sweden it didn’t work. However, it has meanwhile been established that after an hour the Leipzig Giovanna Hoffmann comes for the center forward.

“It is really one of the old ones”

Schüller, who also studies industrial engineering at a Fernuni, does not see herself as a soloist in the DFB selection anyway. “I have the third -party international matches, so I really are one of the old ones. This is simply what has changed. I have to pass on experience, I have to take responsibility.” She also finds herself quite well into this role, even if she emphasizes: “I am now not a Giulia Gwinn that has become captain.” And also no Alexandra Popp.