Das Martina-Upgrade: Sickle Cut Into Your Defense - Road to WWC 2019 [R]

below is the roster, 5 Essen players made it while zero from Frankfurt & Hoffenheim(which finished at 5th & 6th, one below Essen). Biggest surprise is that Bremer, Demann, Lattwein & Rauch didn't make it,

 

I've previously suggested that Hendrich alone wasn't enough competition at RB, but I'm also quite surprised to see Maier make the final roster, having done so little compared to her peers this season.

Oberdorf has honestly been nothing but fantastic during her first full Bundesliga season (better than junior international CM rival Lohmann), and still only aged 17 will probably go on to be one of the senior teams most important players. So it only makes sense that she makes this her first WC tournament as a senior international.

But seeing Bühl's name on the final roster shocked me most. Because even if I feel her potential very high right now, it just appeared like Bremer's better elite level experience would see her take one of the squads final 2 places.

 

Never assisting or scoring a lot of goals, even if I'm still pretty dubious about Knaak's involvement, her end of season form suggests she's worthy of being in a WC squad.

But besides Lattwein, who else has performed well enough from Frankfurt or Hoffenheim to force their way into MVT's WC squad... Rall...

Rall's had 2 or 3 chances with the previous coach.. no? And even if her club form good with MVT the head coach, I'm pretty sure Rall wasn't anywhere near as good as Lattwein in those matches for the national team anyway.

 

With Simon and Schweers, MVT has 2 strong LB's. Meaning the new addition of Maier (she can play both LB and RB roles) they really didn't need Rauch anymore.

Demann's exclusion a tough one, as MVT's team doesn't seem to have a defined CB duo yet. So.. I'll go with the possibility Hegering simply a strong veteran MVT knows well, and trusts more.

Then looking at the way Buhl was talked about during her end of season performances vs Wolfsburg, and asking what Bremer did at the end of this season... I think you get your answer on why Bremer (still young enough to come back one day) didn't make this WC squad.

Leaving Lattwein being the only player here who I could argue having her exclusion be a surprise. Previously producing good performances with Hrubesch as coach, but now facing direct competition from the superior goal threat of Oberdorf (aka a baby Marozsan).

 

woah I didnt realize there was a Germany women forum! Anyways, I'm just gonna leave this here for you guys:

"We don't have balls.
But we know how to use them!"

The @DFB_Frauen with a 🔥 campaign ahead of this summer's Women's World Cup. #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/IC1b9b2VHU

— DW Sports (@dw_sports) May 14, 2019

 

I not surprised at all that Buhl made the squad cuz it's exactly the type that MTV needs; someone who can fast break & burn the last defenders(which with all the opportunites they had vs a hgh lining Sweden, nobody else could quite pull off). Bremer just came off a ridiculously long 1 year & half recouperating from an injury(and doubt if she was anywhere close to 100%).

The one problem with Buhl as well as the other teens is that their be facing the sort of cynical veterans that will use every dirty trick in the book to stop them. Even though I don't agree with a few of the picks(lil Leo & the currently injured Hegering), it's still overall a level headed, strong selection as compared to Jill Ellis's over-the-hill gang & the French's puzzling decision not to go with the French league's leading scorer by far, Katoto with 22 goals(they actual picked ,one goal for the season, Laurent, instead) nor Barca's, tough physical, Hamraoui/or as well as England going with their two aging lone strikers in White & Taylor.

but final chances to a strong WC will rest on MVT coaching; right now she's played 3 different styles in 3 games. The last one(vs Japan) seemed to over complicated to even her players, as she insisted on playing from the back even though there was nobody Schult could find to pass the ball to. Those kind of mistakes will be naturely costly during the WC elimination rounds

 

Finally... a strong advertisement for the wnt. But honestly, this probably also highlights just how poorly the marketing for their WC on home soil was genuinely handled...

So lets see if anything more positive actually comes from this...

 

I think Bühl will be a player similar to Schüller, which is one that will continue to improve, and thrive, at a higher standards of football. But I just honestly felt like MVT would go with Bremer now, hoping to raise the experience levels of her teams attacking options.

Making the inclusion of Bühl a surprise for me, even if I think it 100% the right choice.

MVT NEEDED another RB option, and for all of her issues with Bayern/Wörle, Maier is still one of the few players I'd honestly feel truly capable providing quality competition for that role.

So with me still personally believing Gasper the best German RB this season, with both her and Seim's the future of FB's in MVT teams, if MVT wasn't prepared to go with Gasper now, I can't think of a better option than Maier....

 

The recent matches versus Sweden, and Japan, really exposed one of MVT's biggest issues for this team; and that's her selecting any mid-field combination lacking the presence of Leupolz.

This because it's still not clear whether MVT actually telling anybody to play as a dedicated DM. As every time Leupolz not on the field, there's instantly no DM presence allowing the team to keep a compact shape, which results in opponents exploiting defensive errors that's seen the team conceding needles chances, and easily avoidable goals.

So with a CM playing Magull looking great within MVT's style, and a healthy Däbritz returning, I'm intrigued to see what MVT plans to do with her CM now. Knowing Leupolz fast becoming her teams most important player, for a talented pool of mid-field options that will likely decide that fate of Germany at this WC.

 

The 1st choice CB's haven't been identified yet, so it will be interesting to see who starts versus Chile.

Does MVT finally address the DM situation, having a back up identified for times Leupolz not on the field..?

Can Schult retain her starting role, when it's clear she's still making big errors, and pretty horrible dealing with the demands of opponents pressing her defenses attempts passing the ball out from the back...?

Plus will MVT select Huth - Leupolz - Magull - Däbritz as her four mid-fielders, or move Däbritz ahead of Magull, leaving the left AM open again...?

 

Yes the midfield is a «concern» for Germany because it’s ridiculously strong lol - personally I’d see Popp in that midfield with Leupolz and Däbritz out wide where she belongs, but that would leave the quite brilliant Magull out of the starting eleven

I think Doorsoun and Hegering will play the tournament together as Elsig’s perhaps a bit too slow at times. Not sure what Gössling’s role in this tournament will be?

 

still got Gwinn who's been playing right back fro Freriburg. Vs Japan MTV switched her from mid to left CB during the later stages of that game

seems so far that MVT is going to switch tactics for every game, On the plus side, that at least leaves the element of surprise or unpredictabilty against any opponent that might want to scout them out

on the negative end, it's harder on players to put a differert plan(for every game) into action/as compared to the US & the Dutch who able to 'perfect their game' by playing the same style every match

 

Popp wasted a lot of chances versus Sweden, and Japan, but the fact she's getting so many chances to waste, still has me believing there's a lot more to come from her as a forward within MVT's system of attack.

Plus I'd also like to think MVT's more focused on defining her GK, CB, and mid-field combinations too. As Schult's issues recycling possession with her defense remains a MAJOR concern, while we've all witnessed this team instantly diminish once Leupolz as a DM is removed from the equation...

I don't think Elsig is particularly slower than Hegering...? But any CB partnership witnessed within MVT's 4-2-3-1, will only work at it's best seeing a dedicated DM, with FB's smart/disciplined enough defensively to know where they need to be positioned at all times.

Meaning if this team not compact/disciplined, it doesn't matter who they play... they'll struggle.

 

As a right AM, Gwinn's also produced enough to be Freiburg's top player for assists, and goals this season. So... we're going to ignore all of that because coaches are making dumb decisions, wasting her strongest attributes at FB..?

Is what we've seen of Gwinn at FB, better than what we saw from Rall at FB... yes. But when Gwinn is simply a better player than Rall, I'd honestly expect her to be able to masquerade as a competent FB for any team needing a temporary defensive option.

But compare Gwinn at FB, to somebody like Hendrich, and she doesn't look so great anymore. And I don't even think Hendrich the best FB option Germany can select lol.

 

I'd honestly compare this wnt's tactical identity crisis closer to past Japanese wnt's. Where the talent was there for them to be a far better team too, but required a strong enough coach to identify the teams best technical strength's, and finally implant some serious discipline, to make it all function at it's most effective.

And because for whatever reason people want to dismiss/forget the undeniably strong talent pool available to all German wnt coaches, I feel like once they find a coach capable of establishing their past identity again, the wnt in a prime position to shock people not paying attention.

So could it happen for this WC... we'll get a better idea after their first 2 group stage games. But should MVT be able to elevate an individual player into becoming a genuine match winner, and combine that with a tactically disciplined team shape, this German wnt will be a problem for any opponent.

 

I'm in the belief that Hegering's faster than Jojo a bit, but my biggest problem with Elsig is that it's not hard to beat her 1v1 because she's woefully slow in her acceleration. She's a beast in the air though and has some great tackles, but yeah this will be interesting to see really considering that Doorsoun's not played much for Wolfsburg lately but appears to actually look like a really good CB for the NT

 

I think MVT has experimented in the few games she's had and that she will indeed play Leupolz on the field during the WC as I don't see any scenarios where she's left out considering her really strong season for Bayern
Although girl has to track back sometimes, but I'm just curious if that's because she's tired or because she doesn't bother lol, looks both to me at times

 

I agree that Elsig's agility a major deficit to her overall game, with me also agreeing that Hegering's ability to change direction generally better than Elsig, if still lower than a genuinely world class 1v1 defender.

So if Doorsoun is the one player who's looked consistently strong as a CB for the wnt, I feel whoever her partner is within a 4-2-3-1, will need to be protected more by a positionally strong FB, and DM presence.

 

Watching her, I feel like she's not as quick as she used to be, resulting in her positioning becoming a far more vital factor to her role as a DM, than it would have been if she was still slightly quicker.

But given her age, and her impressive growth learning how to play as a dedicated DM, everything's signaling this WC potentially being a very important tournament for the status of Leupolz as one of the most prominent figures for the wnt.

 

------------------------------------ Benkarth/Schult/Frohms -----------------------------------
Hendrich/Maier -- Doorsoun/Goeßling ----- Hegering/Elsig --- Schweers/Simon
------------------------------------------------ Leupolz -----------------------------------------------
------------------- Magull/Oberdorf ----------------- Marozsan/Dallmann -----------------
Huth/Gwinn -------------------- Popp/Schüller/Bühl ------------------- Däbritz/Knaak

I believe the highlighted names will be MVT's starting 11 at the WC, with only one player within this starting 11 holding experience with past senior level tournament success, and all but one of the mid-field, and forwards, having gathered experience of past Euro and Olympic senior level success.

Showing MVT has experienced winners on this team... but needs to remove the
completely negative association that remains with team post the horror show that was the Jones era Jones era.

 

" The DFB Remembers.There is no captain, but Hegering. I don`t care that she was injured, The iron dna flows through her veins. She is my backline captain. From this day, until her last playing day. " - MVT

 

Germany path could be paved in gold, while not even having to play powerhouses like the US, France & Japan, if everything goes as predicted
WWC 2019 Predictor | BigSoccer Forum

as I previously mentioned, the lineup is good enough, it's really up to MVT's coaching that will really decide.
one question, after Jorgie's Russia disaster, will MVT be compelled to play the so called, dbf manual, playbook?(which seems more Low-ish than anything else) or can MVT switch over to her style or tactic or perhaps finally move over to the tactics of the way better German coach, the one & only Klopp!(who got the feeling Jill Ellis among otheres is an ardent follower off)

 

This again...?

 

Constantly repeating nonsense about the differences with Löw's mnt's, and Klopp's club teams, doesn't make your various opinions on the tactical factors within women's football sound anymore credible lol.

In only 3 games, MVT has already seen her team produce better attacking football than anything witnessed during the final 5 years of Neid, and this while also further distancing herself/the players, from the toxicity that surrounded Jones, and the slow rehabilitation process of Hrubesch.

Making the idea another poor female imitation, of the latest short term tactical trends witnessed within elite men's football, a truly boring debate right now....

 

Injury see's Demann ruled out of the WC. Meaning MVT's defense probably finalized now, with Lohmann returning back to her position being one of the 5 standby replacements within the pre WC training squad.