German Fraulein National Team 2020 & beyond

Prior to the match Vs Scotland, the broadcasters spent a short period talking about some of the tactical deficiencies with this team, specifically highlighting the danger zone that exists in front on the CB's still not being protected correctly.

And after the 2nd half change of formation that occurred with the introduction of Nüsken, it will be interesting to see what Wück does with this knowledge headed into the next 2 games, knowing we saw something very similar happen when MVT would randomly stumble across using Oberdorf as a DM prior the last Euro's....

With one of Nüsken, Senß, Gräwe, placed in front of the CB's as a DM pivot, you not only decrease the chances of opposition forwards/CM's exploiting this danger zone, but you also provide the defence a dedicated passing option to help recycle possession without the constant need for the GK to kick long.

Like it was under Hrubesch, Germany under Wück are still underwhelming when it comes to utilising an effective defensive counter-press. Making a weak double 6 potentially even more ineffective for a team also lacking elite CB's...

Makng the established knowledge of the success of Nüsken, Senß, Gräwe, all being deployed as dedicated DM pivots for their Bundesliga clubs (all lead the league in successful tackles made), only more significant understanding that beyond Oberdorf - Lattwein, we've also NEVER seen any combination of German CM's form an elite level double 6.

To me... for a LONG TIME, it's been obvious Germany possessing the type of players to be far more effective within a 4-3-3, focused on using a lone DM pivot, a box to box CM, and a CAM/AM. Hopefully now with Wück witnessing the potential of this for the first time in the 2nd half Vs Scotland.

 

Senior Squad Vs Netherlands & Austria

GK
Ann-Katrin Berger - NJ/NY Gotham FC
Stina Johannes - Eintracht Frankfurt
Ena Mahmutovic - FC Bayern München

DF
Sara Doorsoun - Eintracht Frankfurt
Giulia Gwinn - FC Bayern München
Kathrin Hendrich - VfL Wolfsburg
Franziska Kett - FC Bayern München
Sophia Kleinherne - Eintracht Frankfurt
Rebecca Knaak - Manchester City
Sarai Linder - VfL Wolfsburg
Janina Minge - VfL Wolfsburg
Carlotta Wamser - Eintracht Frankfurt

MF/FW
Jule Brand - VfL Wolfsburg
Klara Bühl - FC Bayern München
Selina Cerci - TSG Hoffenheim
Sara Däbritz - Olympique Lyon
Linda Dallmann - FC Bayern München
Laura Freigang - Eintracht Frankfurt
Giovanna Hoffmann - RB Leipzig
Sydney Lohmann - FC Bayern München
Sjoeke Nüsken - FC Chelsea
Lena Sophie Oberdorf - FC Bayern München...
Lea Schüller - FC Bayern München
Elisa Senß - Eintracht Frankfurt
Cora Zicai - SC Freiburg

RESERVES...
Rafaela Borggräfe - SC Freiburg
Gia Corley - San Diego Wave FC
Vivien Endemann - VfL Wolfsburg
Lisanne Gräwe - Eintracht Frankfurt
Paulina Krumbiegel - Juventus Turin
Shekiera Martinez - West Ham United
Felicitas Rauch - North Carolina Courage
Alara Şehitler - FC Bayern München
Sophie Weidauer - Werder Bremen
Pia-Sophie Wolter - Eintracht Frankfurt

 

U23 Squad Vs USA....

GK
Lina Altenburg - Eintracht Frankfurt
Anneke Borbe - VfL Wolfsburg
Rafaela Borggräfe - SC Freiburg

DF
Alina Axtmann - SC Freiburg
Vanessa Diehm - TSG Hoffenheim
Chiara Hahn - TSG Hoffenheim
Camilla Küver - VfL Wolfsburg....
Sarah Mattner-Trembleau - SKN St. Pölten
Julia Mickenhagen - Bayer Leverkusen
Tomke Schneider - 1. FC Union Berlin
Jella Veit - Eintracht Frankfurt

MF/FW
Mara Alber - TSG Hoffenheim
Loreen Bender - Bayer Leverkusen
Gia Corley - San Diego Wave FC
Vivien Endemann - VfL Wolfsburg
Lisanne Gräwe - Eintracht Frankfurt
Mathilde Janzen - Kristianstads DFF
Tuana Mahmoud - Werder Bremen
Shekiera Martinez - West Ham United
Larissa Mühlhaus - Werder Bremen
Sophie Nachtigall - Eintracht Frankfurt
Katharina Piljic - Bayer Leverkusen
Sophie Weidauer - Werder Bremen

RESERVES....
Laura-Johanna Dick - TSG Hoffenheim
Thea Farwick - SV Meppen
Meret Felde - SC Freiburg
Vanessa Fudalla - RB Leipzig
Laura Gloning - FC Bayern München
Lisann Kaut - TSG Hoffenheim
Nina Lührßen - Eintracht Frankfurt
Paulina Platner - SGS Essen
Marie Steiner - TSG Hoffenheim
Nia Szenk - SC Freiburg
Selina Vobian - SC Freiburg

 

U19 Squad Vs England & France (Friendlies)

GK
Thea Farwick - SV Meppen
Paula Hoppe - 1. FC Köln
Janne Krumme - FSV Gütersloh 2009

DF/MF/FW
Maresa Arici - Borussia Mönchengladbach
Lisa Baum - Hamburger SV
Keira Bednorz - Eintracht Frankfurt
Nadine Bitzer - TSG Hoffenheim
Delice Boboy - Bayer Leverkusen
Estrella Merino Gonzalez - Bayer Leverkusen
Merle Hokamp - FSV Gütersloh 2009
Greta Hünten - FC Bayern München
Melina Krüger - 2006 Hamburger
Emma Memminger - Eintracht Frankfurt
Maria Penner - Werder Bremen
Milena Röder - TSG Hoffenheim
Rosa Rückert - Eintracht Frankfurt
Leonie Schetter - TSG Hoffenheim
Julia Schiffarth - 1. FC Köln
Maj Schneider - SC Freiburg
Marina Scholz - 1. FC Nürnberg
Julie Terlinden - SGS Essen
Svenja Vöhringer - TSG Hoffenheim
Emily Wallrabenstein - Eintracht Frankfurt
Tessa Zimmermann - Eintracht Frankfurt

RESERVES....
Romy Bräutigam - TSG Hoffenheim
Laura Bröring - SV Meppen
Ida Daedelow - Bayer Leverkusen
Marie Gmeineder - FC Bayern München
Leonie Köpp - SGS Essen
Eszter Reszler - FC Bayern München
Helene Schäfer - Eintracht Frankfurt
Lilith Schmidt - 1. FC Köln
Melissa Schmidt-Sommer - Eintracht Frankfurt
Celina Senftl - FC Bayern München
Nelly Smolarczyk - VfL Wolfsburg
Felicia Sophie Sträßer - FC Carl Zeiss Jena
Sophia Weixler - FC Bayern München
Elfie Wellhausen - Hertha BSC
Luzie Zähringer - FC Bayern München

 

Wück talks Oberdorf: "We want to give her the opportunity to perform at her best. We want to judge her training performance with our own eyes; she is 100 percent fit. We are in close contact with Bayern Munich and also with Lena. We are waiting to see how training goes. Lena is desperate to take the next step and find her feet here again. After consulting with Bayern, she is now getting that competitive spirit in training. Then we will take it step by step. She wouldn't be here if I hadn't given her an important role. It's about putting together the best team for a European Championship - even beyond the starting eleven. That is, if we decide that it makes sense to take Lena with us."

I really hope this is just Oberdorf training with the wnt, and NOTHING MORE than training with the wnt...

Wück talks Wamser: "Carlotta has earned this nomination over the past few months; she has been a top performer in an unfamiliar position. She deserves to prove herself at this level now."

Well... this surely solidifies the obvious fact of Germany's wnt program (regardless of head coach) still being set on the exact same path as Neid when it comes to the implementation of general tactics, and player selection...

 

Senior team opinions.... even if I don't like how this wnt program continues to overlook it's own domestic leagues best defenders, I can't ignore how within the u23's and Frankfurt, Wamser has actually played really well in her new FB role, making her selection highly unsurprising when MVT had the same player within her failed pre WC plans.

I really liked the potential of a left wing attacker Kett, but her being brought back into the wnt as a LB without ever impressing anyone at club level is, well... disappointing. And this with me only seeing Knaak being a wnt level CB a major warning sign, knowing she remains a ponderous low mobility CB option who'll only ever offer this team very little defensive protection from any forwards possessing speed, or 1v1 skill...

Anyomi again stepping out due to injury continues to be an annoying trend too, when you understand just how strong she's been for her club this season, and how much this new on field improvement has seen her various attributes help establisher her as Germany's most effective central attacker...

Wolter CB/FB, Alara CAM/AM, Endemann WF, the three names here who stand out as reserve options who could legitimately help upgrade this team come the Euro's.

My potential best 11...
Bühl ----------------------- Schüller ------------------------ Brand
---------- Däbritz ---------------------------- Lohmann -----------
--------------------------- Senß/Nüsken ------------------------------
Linder ----- Hendrich ------------------ Doorsoun ------ Gwinn
------------------------------- Berger -----------------------------------

Wück's likely starting 11...
Bühl ----------------------- Schüller ------------------------ Brand
----------------------------- Dallmann --------------------------------
------------------- Senß ---------------- Nüsken --------------------
Linder ----- Minge --------------------- Doorsoun ------ Gwinn
------------------------------- Berger -----------------------------------

 

The u23's facing USA is something I'm interested in seeing too, as the latest squad is filled with various names who could easily establish themselves as senior wnt players post the Euro's.

After 2 years not seeing regular 1st team football, the return of Küver becomes a massive shock to me; and alongside the return of Alber hopefully a sign of Germany not losing more of it's elite talent due to recuring knee injuries...

But again I have to ask... are the wnt coaches filled with the same tactical doubts I hold over Fudalla's overall game..., and as one of the primary development sources of many senior wnt talents, why are Essen's women constantly being ignored by the u23 selection process...

 

Felicitas Rauch wendet sich nach ihrer Nicht-Nominierung an die Öffentlichkeit und kritisiert die Kommunikation des Bundestrainers scharf 🔥 pic.twitter.com/adY4BEOOp8

— Fußball der Frauen 90min.de (@FF_90min) May 21, 2025

Ughhhh... the wnt coaches/leadership are being accused of poor communication again...

I don't know what's happening with this program anymore, but from the outside it's only become more segregated in it's overall vision under the leadership of the new director of football role...

And even if experienced players are no longer in the coaches plans, after so many years spent within this program, I don't believe we should be seeing so many women who've represented their nation at various levels wnt football find themselves leaving the senior wnt with such clear feelings of resentment.

 

I have a feeling she won't be called up for the Euros either. What's even more interesting is many national team players liking her post.

 

Yeah... the banishment of Simon, and the new found interest in trying to convert Kett into a LB, almost confirms Rauch's wnt career is all but confirmed to be over now.

It appears this feeling of resentment has become a common sentiment among the players now.

Magull as one of the wnt's leaders during MVT's era was shockingly open in her expressing various issues with the wnt program, and was later abruptly dropped from the wnt's plans on the back of poor communication aka lies from the post MVT coaching...

So I don't know what the DFB leadership are doing anymore, as it appears to me their plans for the men haven't been able to take root within the wnt program while Neid remains in a prominent position.

And this makes me wonder how much Künzer has been able to positively effect, if we're STILL seeing players complain about the poor communication coming from the wnt's leadership...

 

Everything seems to point to Germany having another disappointing run in a tournament.

 

With the Nations League games coming up, I'm not even sure there will necessarily be a pre tournament friendly otherwise it probably would have already been scheduled. I haven't see other teams schedule any friendlies ahead of the Euros either.

That Vietname game in 2023 was particularly horrendous given how Vietnam later performed (or rather didn't) at the World Cup.

 

Factors like Wück not constructing a strong back 4, a clear starting mid-field, or a fully functioning starting attack, not having any clear identity yet... definitely suggests his first tournament with the wnt unlikely to end in glory...

But it should always be stated that Germany currently posses enough talent to be a contender at any tournament over the next 5 years, where key factors that prevented the team from reaching it's true potential could still be resolved by Wück and Meinert.aka coaches with prior winning pedigrees.

 

What's happening....

Bundestrainer Christian Wück stand zuletzt aufgrund seiner Kommunikation in der Kritik. Jetzt äußern sich die DFB-Spielerinnen dazu - darunter auch Bayern-Star Sydney Lohmann 👇 pic.twitter.com/zhOKiXfM4k

— Fußball der Frauen 90min.de (@FF_90min) May 27, 2025

These dummies had to endure WC group stage embarrassment, eventually going through 3 different coaching departments, and the introduction of a new technical position with Künzer becoming the wnt's first dedicated director of football.

But here we are, weeks away from a Euro finals, and somehow hearing about the wnt leadership and the players still not being able to communicate effectively...

This taken from an online article: After a discussion with national coach Christian Wück, the German women's soccer team is approaching their busy European Championship summer with renewed energy. The topic has been "a bit of an elephant in the room" in recent days, said national player Laura Freigang at a media event in Bremen on Tuesday, clarifying: "We've talked about it. I think everyone is trying to find common ground. I think that's the most important thing."

LOL.. there's NO WAY you have this persist among 3 different head coaches (MVT, Hrubesch, Wück), and think it's simply an issue with the players. The DFB continues to have a genuine problem it will surely need to address at some point...

 

Who thinks that? The players barely get blamed, some would even say they don't get blamed enough.

 

Whoever, whatever is the source of this issue... it shouldn't be a problem that persists through the time frame of 3 different coaches...

The players feel one way, the coaches report a completely different series of events. Again... what's going on, and why do the players remain so annoyed about this..?

 

We don't know but the only thing that in many ways has not changed under 3 different coaches is the core roster.