European Football Championship
DFB team dreams of “what’s big” in front of Spain crackers
Only throw France out of the tournament and now Tophavorit Spain? The national team goes to the European Championship semi -final with new failures – but also enormously strengthened.
After the enormous wear against France, the German footballers are rapping up again, the enthusiasm at home also makes tired legs. In the semi-final cracker against world champion Spain, the team of national coach Christian Wück hopes for the next EM coup. “We all have to grow beyond ourselves,” said the new center striker Giovanna Hoffmann.
“Incredibly high resilience”
The 26-year-old from RB Leipzig also stands for the upheaval and mentality at the European Championship at the eight-time title winner. “In the last game, you saw that resistance does not throw back, but rather make us even stronger. That we have an incredibly high resilience in our team and that everyone is able to take responsibility,” said Hoffmann before the next KO-game on Wednesday (9:00 p.m./ARD and DAZN) in the Zurich Letzigrund Stadium.
Suddenly Important-In addition to Hoffmann, who, after three joker missions in the quarter-final penalty drama, repressed and shone top scorer Lea Schüller, other: newcomer Franziska Kett, long-term banking presser Sophia Kleinhernen or Carlotta Wamser, the representative of the injured captain Giulia Gwinn as a right-back.
Däbritz urges himself
The players have “postponed limits and that is simply incredibly beautiful to see and also makes us incredibly proud,” said defender Kleinhernen. “At the latest the France game showed what we are able to do and that we can dream of the very big one because we simply have the quality.”
Against Spain with the world footballers Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí, a Sara Däbritz – 110 caps and the last remaining from the European Championship 2013 could also be needed. Wück has to not only rebuild the defense again after the red ban from braid Kathrin Hendrich and the injury of Sarai Linder.
Nüsken must be replaced
The important central thinker and steering woman Sjoeke Nüsken is also missing after her second yellow card, which is hard for the DFB selection. Captain Janina Minge, originally a classic six, is used in defense. Wück had recently avoided an offensive playmaker like Linda Dallmann.
The focus is also on defensive work against the playful and ball -loving Spaniards. So two places would be free in midfield, next to Däbritz the flexible Sydney Lohmann is an option.
Wück announces “hot dance”
“We will also deliver a hot dance to the Spaniards. Just like they naturally defend themselves against us with everything they have. And then let’s see who in the end,” announced the national coach. Wück can at least place Wamser at the back of the returnee who has served her red lock from the Sweden game.
The 52-year-old said with a look back at the enormous energy performance under the most difficult circumstances against France: “I think that gives us a huge push again mentally. The girls absolutely wanted to prove what they were made of and that we can insert such neck blows and come back there.”
Good memories of the EM 2022
The players followed the attention at home. “I already believe that the game will get more supporters who believe in us, stand behind us and like to look at our football,” said the goalless Münchner Klara Bühl in the tournament.
In the last European Championship duel against Spain so far, there was a 2-0 gates from Bühl and Alexandra Popp in the preliminary round in 2022. It was only after this tournament that Putellas, Bonmatí and Co. started their triumphal march, crowned with the World Cup triumph in Australia. The fact that the German national team has never lost to Spain in eight comparisons (five wins, three draws) is therefore only a statistical margin note.
DFB-Elf expects “tremendous pass quality”
DFB sports director Nia Künzer awaits “an enormous pass quality against the top favorite, coupled with a certain rip-off”. German women will have to rush a lot afterwards.
Attacker Hoffmann believes that similar virtues will be important in the semi -finals as against France. “Perhaps a little more will get to the playful – then like to go to the eleventh if we hopefully have the ball more.”
The title dream lives more than ever in the Olympic third of 2024. Nüsken had already announced in the euphoria after the semi-finals: “We want to bring the thing home now. We are such an incredibly cool team and I think we can do it.” For Hoffmann, the semi-finals have proven “that everything we said before are not just phrases.”
Em as “madness learning”
Even if it goes wrong against Spain-the DFB managers will be able to consume for a long time from the France game. “Of course, for us this is a confirmation of the path that we started to go eight months ago with the change in the squad, a different game philosophy,” said Künzer.
The European Championship is a “really important development step”, “an amazing learning. The players take that with them.” This also applies to defensive weakness in the group games and the propagated attack football with world-class wing strikers such as Bühl and Jule Brand, which was previously only seen in phases in Switzerland.
dpa
Source: Stern
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