The German women’s national team finished its qualifying campaign for Euro 2025 in Switzerland on top of its group. Going into the July matches, Horst Hrubesch’s side had already qualified for next summer’s event, it was merely a matter of preparing well for the upcoming Olympic tournament. But Germany began the month with a 3-0 defeat to Iceland last Friday, before bouncing back to a 4-0 victory over Austria on Tuesday. This article deals with three things we learnt from those last two matches ahead of the Olympics.
Three Things We Learnt From Germany’s Last Two Euro 2025 Qualifiers
The Iceland Loss Was a Good Warning at the Right Time
The first of the three things we learnt was that despite winning the first four qualifiers and thereby easily qualifying for the Euros, Germany’s performances were far from perfect. In most of those games, they conceded an early goal, in one case it was even two. Yet, they always came away victorious. The team needed a lesson that showed them they would not be able to get away with so many defensive errors every time, especially in the Olympics, where they will face difficult opposition even in the group stage, with Australia, the United States and Zambia all likely to provide a strong challenge.
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In the Iceland match, they got that lesson. They lost 3-0 without really having played that badly, but their errors in defence were relentlessly punished. They not only conceded an early goal in the first half but also in the second 45 minutes. That showed them that good concentration is necessary from the start. Germany then took that to heart and they were on top from the start in the Austria match on Tuesday. They now know that teams will be ruthless against them if they allow them to be.
Coach Hrubesch Has Difficult Decision to Make Regarding Starting Goalkeeper
The second of the three things we learnt was that number one Merle Frohms of VfL Wolfsburg, with her 52 caps for Germany is far from being sure of her starting position at the Olympics. While there were some rumours in the media about the need to replace Frohms there was nothing concrete. On Friday in Iceland, she conceded three goals, while her rival, Ann-Katrin Berger of NJ/NY Gotham FC kept a clean sheet on Tuesday versus Austria and on top of that had two assists, which is exceedingly rare for a goalkeeper.
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In fairness, Frohms was not really at fault for any of the goals conceded against Iceland, while Germany’s defensive play against Austria was so good that the opposition created few chances to test Berger’s shot-stopping abilities. Still, those early rumours to replace Frohms with Berger are now very much audible calls from the public. They will be difficult for Hrubesch to ignore ahead of such a big tournament.
Hrubesch Will Need to Replace “Irreplaceable” Lena Oberdorf in Midfield
What was a big worry after the Austria game, has now become a sad reality. Lena Oberdorf will miss the Olympics due to a severe knee injury. The 22-year-old already has an amazing 51 caps for her age and has truly become irreplaceable since the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France. Hrubesch is set to name a new player to take her roster spot in the coming days.
