DFB team before EM semi-final: Next personnel puzzle for Wück and the footballers

Goalkeeper heroine Ann-Katrin Berger warmed up in the relaxed football tennis-laughter kept sounding over the lawn of Zurich booklers. National coach Christian Wück continues to fight for the start of the preparation for the semi-final cracker against Spain.

Foreign defender Sarai Linder, who had celebrated the triumph of Basel with crutches after her replacement, is missing in the KO game against the world champions on Wednesday (9:00 p.m./ARD and DAZN) in Zurich. According to DFB, the Wolfsburg woman has suffered a capsule band injury on the left ankle.

“Can compensate for failures”

Kathrin Hendrich will not be there after pulling your hair with a red episode. “What we have proven is that we can compensate for red cards, failures, injuries,” said DFB sports director Nia Künzer.

The DFB selection had come without major injuries through the preparation in Herzogenaurach. Only for Lena Oberdorf from FC Bayern did the European Championship come too early after its cruciate ligament tear.

Nüsken is also missing from Spain

With the tournament failure of captain Giulia Gwinn (knee injury) in the first game, the red card of her representative Carlotta Wamser against Sweden, the dismissal for Hendrich and Linder’s early end against France, the DFB women then got violent on the defensive. And now Sjoeke Nüsken, the thinker and driver in midfield, is also closed to Spain after her second yellow card.

In the exercise unit at the start of the week, Rebecca Knaak, Giovanna Hoffmann and Franciska Kett only completed running training – a regeneration measure, as it was said.

Psycho-Pusch through France game?

The quarter -finals had physically demanded everything from the players. “I think we now need three days of ice sun and relaxation and then we see if we can still set up eleven players against Spain,” Wück said afterwards. It doesn’t look that bad in the 23-member squad.

Klara Bühl referred to the fitness in the Olympic third and the psychological effect of the magnificent success. “Everyone has noticed what they are able to do. I believe that we can take a lot of positive things out of the game,” said the Bayern player. If Germany moves into the final, Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) also wants to come to the game.

Wück wants “the best” from the short break to the semi -finals: “I can already promise that we will also deliver a hot dance to the Spaniards.”

DFB team does not have to move

The 52-year-old can at least rely on Wamser against the next favorite-and has two defense specialists who have proven against France that they have an EM form and format: ex-Frankfurt Sophia Kleinhernen (VfL Wolfsburg) and Munich’s only 20-year-old Franziska Kett.

Künzer also relies on the mental strength of German footballers and the newly developed “defensive lust”. She has not only been “convinced that no team likes to play against us” since the 6: 5 penalty shootout against France. Word got around that Germany was an unpleasant opponent. “We make our way into the heads of the Spaniards as soon as we are fit again,” said the ex-world champion.

Wück’s players also have the advantage that it is only ten minutes by bus from Teamhotel to the Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich. So you don’t have to move one day before the game. The world champions from Spain are at Lake Geneva and completed a secret training in Lausanne on Monday.

The first Spanish reporter with a TV camera was already stood at the training ground of the German players and repeatedly put a term in his mouth: “Eight times European champion”.

The respect has also grown on the opponent’s side. In the preliminary round with 16 goals, however, Spain made the strongest offensive and put a loose 2-0 against Switzerland in the quarter -finals despite two fired penalty.

Great experiences with Spain at Olympics

However, the German national team around Berger has the best memories of Spain: In the game for bronze at the 2024 Olympics, the goalkeeper saved the 1-0 with a held penalty time deep in added time.

Künzer also wants to take an example to Italy who will meet England on Tuesday in the first semi -finals in Geneva. The team of coach Andrea Soncin “mostly did well in the 1: 3 against Spain,” said Künzer. “So it is the case that you can pack them.”