Steffiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Points (Road to WWC 2019)[R]

To be honest, I've felt the coaches far too reliant of the idea of experience, without them being able to judge the actually quality of said players past experience.

This directly speaking towards this always weak experience excuses allowing lazy, or simply biased squad selections, to regress the important development cycle of new options to the national team.

So looking at Goeßling's slight decline as a CM, and the increasingly poor match fitness of Laudehr, I'd hope to see the national team coaches finally start to identify realistic replacements for the last WC winning generation still within this squad.

I still feel like Maier's below the standard she needs to be, and would honestly use Faißt in a RB role; a role she's looked equally as strong as Maier, or anybody else performing.

 

How hard is that to look competent though, when your playing matches as a CB next to the one woman defensive army called Fischer lol; oh, also having the leagues best attack keep opponents pre-occupied with anything but attacking you...?

Fischer is Wolfsburg's entire defensive game plan lol, and has been that for so long now it's allowed the club to arrogantly dismiss the need to purchase quality FB's, or a dedicated pair of CM's lol.

So being honest, even if I see some genuine potential in Wedemeyer, I still believe it incorrect for the national coaches to simply ignore options like Fellhauer, Schöne, Störzel, T.Dongus... when it's they who regularly display superior defensive performances in the league, for weaker teams than Wolfsburg.

This issue being far more relevant right now too, as we've all seen the perceived acceleration in improvement for Demann after moving to Bayern, and I'm sure Doorsoun will be the next after a few months with Wolfsburg to highlight what can happen if these bigger clubs start scouting domestic defensive talent a lot better.

 

I think the nature of Jones complete failure, and the current appointment of Hrubesch's short term wound dressing, would probably mean 95% of the senior wnt selections are still made by Ballweg and Neid lol...

But if there's one area I don't think they have any control on the teams process, is the players Hrubesch selects to start up front, and the way he's asking these individuals to play.

Meaning I think there's been a clear move back to a wide AM game plan being important again for this team, seeing Däbritz, Huth, Dallmann, Magull, Schüller, all produce more 1v1 dribbles around the opponents PK zone, than I think I've personally witnessed in a long time.

 

@hotjam2
Schweers ..... Doorsoun ..... Demann ...... Simon
--------------- Hendrich ----------- Magull ---------------
................................ Dallmann ............................
Huth .......................................................... Däbritz
----------------------------- Popp --------------------------
This level of balance is what I'd hope to see versus any lower ranked opponent that's going to sit deep and counter attack; where width in the attack, AM's possessing the the ability to beat players in tight spaces, and ALL defenders are comfortable executing intelligent sequences of passing, allows the team to exploit space whenever the defense is asked to initiate and dictate the play.

And this is why I'd start with Huth and Däbritz out wide, in a known formation that would benefit Germany's energetic and technically competent AM's, moving around and behind an often annoying, but tactically and aerially strong Popp.

Plus we see a real CM presence like Hendrich get to showcase how her speed and agility make her the best DM candidate for closing people down in the mid-field, and the far better choice to cover Demann should she find herself exposed in open field tests of speed too.

So even if Doorsoun can still struggle with issues of confidence, looking back at the issues that lead to this teams decline and eventual tactical disasters under Jones, I'd still take Doorsoun - Hendrich - Demann being the central defensive platform of this team, in the knowledge it could still see (insert name) - Marozsan - Peter put back together.

 

Yes Fischer's a key and amazing for Wolfsburg, but I've seen Gössling and Peter partnering Fischer, and Wedemeyer looked better than both defensively. But anyway yes, there's probably been players in the league who's performed better than Wedemeyer last season, but it always happens that young players playing for bigger clubs are picked for the NT. It fricking always happens lol. I mean, I don't approve of calling the likes of Gössling who should play midfield or Peter who shouldn't be in the squad for younger players, but I do feel that Wedemeyer deserves to be in the NT regardless of the coaches not picking other young players in the Bundesliga.

I'm not quite sure though Hotjam how you mean that Huth can defend when she's played RB one game against Czech Republic was it...?

 

don't know why you guys insist on the 4-2-3-1? it's only decent if your holding on the a lead. It's more about packing the midfield, as well as having to send your two supposedly outside mids into the central attacking area to support the one lone striker, that means the two backs turn into the wides, which in turn leaves the flanks dangerously exposed for counters. i though this lesson might of been learned like Mexico & S Korea were able to counter attack effectively.against LOW-many(and why not? lil Leo's twin bro, Kimmich was nowhere to be found/ at least on defense that is!)

Even Neid switched over to a 4-4-2 & switched to a decent off sides trap vs Sweden in the Olympic gold medal team. Against Iceland(who obviously going to bunker) you need players upfront, not in the mid

 

Kimmich was ordered up front in the Mexico game as he’s one of Germany’s most lethal weapon going forward, but Löw seemed to forget that Kroos alone simply couldn’t cover the space Kimmich left behind considering the dreadful performance by Khedira. Neverthless Kimmich was solid defensively in the last two games.

But Germany’s not good enough to play 4-4-2 with a diamond in the middle lol, at least when I do highly suspect that Hrubesch won’t play his best eleven. I’d much rather see Popp as a CM supporting the talented and dangerous AMs Germany have instead of playing forward tbh

 

@hotjam2... What teams are you watching to make such assertion about the 4-2-3-1..? I've watched a lot of football, and only ever seen the 4-2-3-1 used in a multitude of ways, beyond the simplistic defensive game plan narrative your suggesting once again.

Highlighting the horrible examples of Germany using a 4-2-3-1 without any tactical awareness, shouldn't equate to the 4-2-3-1 in general being a horrible formation for everybody. (pretty sure other wnt's use it better than Germany)

I've seen every kind of formation end up being horrible for various teams, and the most traditional 4-4-2 formation become the death of many more. So I think about what coaches do with a formation, no?

 

And having just seen about 60 mins of the U-20's match vs China, I'm starting to question Meinert's abilities the same way I do the wnt program as a whole lol... do they have tactical planning anymore..?

Gwinn scored a nice goal, but was otherwise positioned badly and technically inept in everything else I saw. While 3 members of the back 4 looked pretty strong again, versus a very well coached Chinese attacking strategy.

Plus speaking honestly, I think Freigang looks so awful as a CAM, it's making me wonder what both her and a unsurprisingly early substituted Sander's learn't during their time within the US college system lol.

So compared to the last two U-20 WC's, this squad definitely holds a far better group of individuals; however I'm still genuinely baffled trying to understand where this new insistence for the entire German wnt program, to never use a dedicated CAM, or wide attackers, has come from..?

 

did you write this before or after Freigang scored that lovely header? lol


btw.....Sanders only scored 3 goals last year for her college team(so why is she Germany's starting, lone striker/, but then again the college season is so short, one minor injury & you'll miss the half the season, lol

 

Does it matter...? She still produced another awful individual performance as the teams CAM.

Or am I supposed to overlook this because of FIFA's short highlight package showcasing the one moment Freigang's actually provided some form of end product..?

 

LOL, I guess that's low? But how many goals would a first year international level FW typically expect to score during her first year of top division US college soccer..?

And I ask this question thinking the recent high quality displays of a genuinely attacking winger like Gwinn during the league season, haven't translated to her looking any better than Sanders so far within what's been a rather underwhelming German U-20 attacking plan....

I mean, compared to the random chaos witnessed in the past two U-20 WC's, I think this German team significantly improved in areas of defense and CM. But I struggle to see the benefits watching Sanders and Freigang struggle, knowing they probably have ready made replacements with Bühl as a FW, and Oberdorf as a CAM.

 

Oberdorf might be the real deal, she's only 16 yet made the u20 squad over the more heralded, Stolze, Anymoni, Lohmann & Chiemelinski who are all 18 years old(but got paying for the u19?Euro squad instead).

She plays for a club called TSG Sprookovel, which why might show it's a good thing; not to be on a top, Div club 1, since playing time might be limited, especially for Stolze & Lohmann.

I haven't seen any full games, just seems like their using smaller ,regulation size fields(from the highlights). German's problem might be too easy of a group, so guessing, Meinert might wanting to keep a tight leash on the team as not to get caried away/loose discipline when they meet finally some contenders in the playoffs

 

To be honest, reading the comments from people who watched the U-19 group of players in action, it sounds like Meinert didn't know how to get the best out of any of these supposedly better forward players either.

So I wouldn't be so quick to talk like they would have made a significantly better contribution than Oberdorf on the U-20's. Because this is a place where Meinert's ideas on how her teams should attack, still appear just a confusing as they've been for many years at U-19.

 

Or it could be a more simple factor of Meinert not knowing how to construct a fully functioning attack...?

I'm watching the match vs Haiti, and it's the same trash I witnessed in the other two group matches; games where this team has a strong collective of defense and mid-field players, but can't do anything with genuine quality when it comes to involving the forwards.

And no, the team having a lot of changes isn't the problem here either, as the exact same issues are still on show vs the worst team in the group.

 

hmmmm, and after witnessing a genuine tactical disaster of a 2nd half performance, I think it's beginning to make sense why so many people were doubting the ability of Meinert to guide this group of players anywhere near another U-20 WC victory lol.

3 group matches finished, and not once has Meinert used one of her 3 #10's within the CAM role. The group stage now over, and Meinert clearly doesn't have a real idea for how her team attacks within her preferred 4-2-4. And headed into the knockout stage, it's hard to identity a positive that potentially enables them to progress any further.

 

Basically out thought by the Haiti coach, Meinert's inability to identify her teams weakness and adjust accordingly, was another disappointment in a growing list of disappointments for the DFB's most successful active female coach.

I mean Haiti's successful 2nd half plan of using a high defensive line was only possible because Meinert's own tactical naivety, and at no point did she seem to understand what was going on, or how she could fix it with a few simple adjustments lol.

Meaning the only bonus Meinert has for the knockout stage now, is the return of 5 starters. But after reading the many complaints of German fans watching the U-19's, I finally understand why so many were highlighting concerns for the way her uninspired teams underwhelm in attack.

 

A few squad players guaranteed they won't see anymore match time during this WC lol, but the lack of a real attacking structure to the way her U-19/20 teams play now, is a strange concern for a coach who's previously got the best from attackers like Popp, Marozsan, Bremer, Däbritz, Huth...

I mean Meinert has access to Bundesliga regulars like Bühl - Gwinn in this team, but hasn't even managed to understand a way to effectively use them at the same time, even though both players at club level will play out wide with great amounts of success.

So I don't understand what benefits Meinert thinks she's getting from her highly underwhelming attacking strategy, but she has to be crazy if she believes it's going to lead to anything but more failure come the knock out stage.

 

i agree, this was simply horrible. just looking at the stats, not only Haiti had more shots(both on & off target), but Germany had an incredible 9 off sides calls, sort of proving that the kids had a hard time adjusting to whatever complicated scheme Meinert had waiting for them.
https://www.fifa.com/u20womensworldcup/matches/match/300424866/#match-statistics

regardless of the talent, there's no flair coming out of the players like we saw in 2014 with the likes of Bremer, Dabritz & Magull. Now Meinert will have to figure out a way to adjust to Japan, which I'm sure plays a way different style than the Haitians did

 

I didn't watch the U-19 Euro's, but a lot of people who did were very upset with the poor tactical approach of Meinert; and I think the same factors people saw negatively effect the U-19's, have also been brought to the U-20's.

So this means factors like her using a 4-2-3-1 without a #10/CAM, and not using wide AM's who can stay wide and create for others, for some reason has become the persistent blind spot for a coach who I feel should have been forced by the DFB to take over the senior team post Silvia Neid.

 

It wasn't Haiti having better players than Nigeria, or China. No, Germany's biggest problems in this match were the unnecessary changes to the team, and Meinert's inability to notice her opponents weakness and adjust to Haiti accordingly.

So the return of 5 first option players will a make some kind of positive difference vs Japan, but Meinert not being able adapt to Haiti's 2nd half tactical changes, or understand how to get the best out of Gwinn - Bühl - Oberdorf, really doesn't lead to any positive feeling about Germany's chances during the knock out stage.

 

Where can you watch these games though

 

So no Hendrich and Petermann due to muscular problems...
Laudehr not quite ready yet
Lyon doesn’t let Simon go

 

not sure, but the above mentioned players are only not available for the NT training camp, but still might be back for the Sep 1 game vs Iceland.

Hendrich would be the biggest loss as I think she's the team's best marker & tackler. I'm looking more forward to seeing what Petermann can do at Potsdam, than anything she's done at the NT level, lol

I might be going against the wind, but other than the money they offered, I think it was a mistake for Simon to go play for Lyon. All the players flubbed at last year's Euros. There's no real competition in the French league outside a few clubs like PSG & Montepelier. Than there's Lyon's ridiculous philosophy of playing their top 11 no matter how bad the competition is; for example in the French Cup playoffs, they competed against a Div 4 squad & beat them 20-0 using their all star lineup(instead of their scrubs). Both Maro's & Bremer's play have suffered since they went to Lyon. Weiss(the GK from Essen) probably wouldn't get to start much as she's got two French NT's ahead of her

on my side of the Atlantic some of the games are broadcast by Fox Sports, but unlike ESPN than don't have a holding streaming website that replays the games/ The FIFA police is out in force over at youtube as I didn't see any full length replays either, All they got are these menial highlights that don't really show whats going on.

 

Exactly I read wrong, might be that they will be called up for the games
Right now I only think Simon will though