The 2023 World Cup debacle and the defeat in Iceland are warning enough: Alexandra Popp’s women’s national team is not going into the Summer Games carefree.
Captain Alexandra Popp is torn about the German women’s football team’s prospects for the Olympics. “Basically, I believe the team is capable of anything,” the 33-year-old 2016 gold medalist told the German Press Agency before the opening match against Australia in Marseille. At the 2022 European Championships in England, no one expected the DFB selection – “and suddenly we were there. But we experienced it the other way around at the World Cup, where everyone expected us and we weren’t really there.”
One year after the World Cup debacle in Australia with elimination in the preliminary round under coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, the German women are aiming for a medal under interim coach Horst Hrubesch. His team recently beat Austria 4-0, but had previously lost 3-0 in Iceland.
Physically strong opponents
“You’ve seen it in the last few games: We’ve always lacked consistency over 90 minutes,” admitted Popp. “That will be crucial: if we get them on the pitch – with everything we’ve got – then we’ve got a good chance of having a say at the top. If we don’t manage that, then it’s going to be brutally difficult at this level.”
Germany’s footballer of the year from VfL Wolfsburg and her teammates will face World Cup fourth-placed Australia on Thursday (7 p.m./ZDF and Eurosport). On Sunday they will face record world champions USA, and three days later they will face Zambia.
“We have a group with opponents who are physically very strong,” said Popp. The team must hold its own in the group phase: “We can do that. I am convinced of that. But it has to happen from the start and throughout the 90 minutes, otherwise any team can hurt us.”
Künzer: Can also turn residues
DFB sports director Nia Künzer expressed similar views. “At the Olympic Games, every opponent will demand everything from us,” said the 2003 world champion. “It’s still true that we don’t consistently manage to reach our full potential.” The 44-year-old pointed out that the European Championship runners-up have recently conceded early goals.
Source: Stern
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