BRISBANE – The last true Golden Age of German women’s football has certainly passed. The female senior national team has won its two World Cup titles to date in 2003 and 2007 respectively, they earned their only gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games. Even as far as European Championships go, a trophy the German Women’s national team has lifted on no less than eight occasions, the most recent of which was a decade ago. For that reason, it came as somewhat of a surprise when several current German players and members of the coaching staff announced publicly that winning the currently ongoing World Cup in Australia and New Zealand would be the team’s objective. Especially given the fact that there are more potential favorites to win it than ever before. There is a strong case to be made that several other European countries have caught up to and even surpassed the Germans in the women’s game.
Expectations for German Women’s Team at 2023 World Cup
Living up to the Hype
On the other hand, it is undeniable that the team captured the attention of the German people during last summer’s run to the EURO final like never before. More importantly, it inspired countless young girls to play and follow the sport. It would be foolish to let that unexpected and sudden boom go to waste. But with more visibility, come higher expectations and added pressure on the players.
Injury Worries
But as great as Germany’s run to the final of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 was, the team in that tournament had far more quality in certain positions compared to this one, particularly the fullbacks on either side. Giulia Gwinn, who just recovered from a torn ACL did not get the call-up to the team this time. To make matters worse, Felicitas Rauch sustained a different knee injury and will miss some time as well.
Meanwhile, Carolin Simon failed to make the squad at the last moment due to an ACL tear in the final warm-up match before the Women’s World Cup. This meant that in the second group match against Colombia (2-1 loss) coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg had to use attacking winger Svenja Huth as an emergency right-back, while Chantal Hagel played on the left. This leaves Germany down to bare bones on both outside back positions.
In any case, after the defeat to Columbia, the German women’s team finds itself in a dangerous situation, despite having beaten Morocco in their tournament opener. They are now in second place of Group H with three points, while Columbia has six, the Moroccans have three and South Korea has no points ahead of the Asian side’s last game versus the Germans on Thursday.
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The Koreans are still a capable side that the German women’s team should not underestimate them. If they make it through the group, Martina Voss-Tecklenburg’s players would likely face either France or Brazil in the Round of 16, which would be difficult enough. If Germany realizes that they must focus on one game at a time, rather than dream of the title, much could still be possible. Otherwise, the hype created a year ago at the EURO could quickly die down.
Photo Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports, Nov 13, 2022; Harrison, New Jersey, USA
