German Fraulein National Team 2020 & beyond

Plus I doubt it was MVT's plan to force Buhl, Brand, Schuller, into needing world class moments of individual skill to create goal scoring opportunities on the break.

This being only scenario often available to these 3 forwards for most of their time on the field. Forced so far away from having support near them, they would have needed to beat multiple players on their own, to unlock goal scoring opportunities for themselves.

Germany were simply too deep for these players skill sets to be truly effective.

 

And to be clear, this doesn't mean Germany resorting to clearing the ball into space without any intention of finding their own players makes any more sense either. As all that would have done is made life even easier for Spain to dominate the ball.

Germany's shape often so flat/rigid, players couldn't execute on the forward passing options necessary to relieve defensive pressure; this so bad at the start of the 2nd half, it even damaged their effectiveness in short passing scenarios too, where various good opportunities to break on Spain were lost due to players not recognising patterns around them.

 

But at least this match seems to have made it more obvious to others now, that MVT's flawed approach to team selection is a genuine self imposed handicap.

Even if the senior wnt lacking resources for comprehensive nation wide player analysis, stopping MVT from truly understanding how to utilise the full potential of her player pool; every week she can just watch Bayern, Wolfsburg, Hoffenheim, Frankfurt, and see them all using systems superior to her own.

So we should have all seen Oberdorf - Däbritz - Magull, go head to head with what many feel the best CM trio in world football (Bonmati - Patri - Alexia). But instead of recognizing her teams strengths, MVT reverts to focusing on all it's weakness..

 

The fact Germany have a deep player pool something even the less informed English commentary team could even identify as a unique aspect of MVT's Germany. Always making it annoying knowing Germany's wnt so incapable of creating a good team around 14 core players.

Even if MVT doesn't use the full extent of the options available to her, she shouldn't be praised now for finding a draw, after resorting to such basic tactics so far into her time as head coach.

Not when Marozsan, Leupolz, Nusken, Huth, Wassmuth, Lattwein, Hendrich, Hegering, Popp, are all missing, and she still has access to this as a starting 11...
Bühl ---------------- Schüller ---------------- Brand
------------------------ Magull ---------------------------
------------ Oberdorf ----------- Däbritz --------------
Rauch ---- Feldkamp ---- Kleinherne ---- Gwinn
----------------------- Frohms ----------------------------
That's still a very strong group of players to be using bunker ball against Spain. And she would still had options like Rall, Dallmann, Freigang, Cerci, Anyomi, Linder, Dongus, all on the bench...

 

Lets be real here... for all the talent, Germany seem to perform awfully similar to MVT's Switzerland side... no...

And if you genuinely believe a lot of Germany's players average... or overrated.
Bühl/Brand ---------------- Freigang/Schüller ---------------- Huth/Waßmuth
---------------------------------- Magull/Marozsan ----------------------------------
------------ Leupolz/Oberdorf ----------------- Lattwein/Däbritz --------------
Rauch/Gwinn --- Hegering (c) ---- Hendrich/Kleinherne ----- Rall/Linder
------------------------------- Frohms/Schult/Berger -----------------------------------
I have a hard time believing a squad like this would be viewed as anything but contenders with a better coach shaping them into a genuine team.

 

It's not the fact people know how much Spain like to dominate the ball, it's the concern MVT's answer to this reality was for her to not even challenge how her opponent like to play...

And if you can't understand why audiences respect/admire teams like Spain showcasing high levels of technical ability, in a sport many of the global male audience continue to disrespect women's football for it's perceived low levels of skill... fine.

It's not easy to win in sport, and it's harder to win team sports showcasing a style many around the world find impressive/pleasant to watch. So Germany allowing Spain to maintain 70% possession against them, having 15 shots to Germany's 7, 6 of those on target compared to Germany's 4; yeah... I guarantee if Germany could do that against FIFA top 10 level wnt's, they'd have found much larger media attention, and wouldn't be playing games in front of increasingly smaller crowds...

 

NO EXCUSES... The squad MVT's taken to England, is still filled with a lot of her regular first team options, with her regular CB's choices also a clear self imposed handicap too.

The narrative missing a few Wolfsburg players a significant loss, is pure fallacy in the face of a reality MVT's typical team selections only feature Huth wide right. And lets be real... Huth alone doesn't make a difference to the Bunker ball MVT chose to utilize Vs Spain.

Rauch was on the bench again. When was the last time Hendrich used a CB..? Lattwein isn't a starter in a CM role, typically wasted as a mediocre CB alongside Oberdorf. Waßmuth doesn't start either, and is typically deployed as a right sided wide forward when she's introduced.

So where's the huge impact Wolfsburg's players supposed to make against Spain...? Besides Huth, MVT doesn't use any of them correctly lol.

 

That's a pretty unprofessional reason for a national coach to want to win a game of football lol. And isn't this a completely pointless theory, considering the defeat for Germany was against the Wiegman's Netherland's, not England...

I think MVT has access to better players, but not close to the same level of coach Wiegman provides her teams. So I don't see how bunker ball/fortuitous victories against England in a pre Euro's friendly will change that fact; and not if a win for Germany end's with it being obvious to everyone England have the superior TEAM structure, compared to Germany's collection of individuals...

 

YIKES! That 10 has some serious issues lol, featuring names that wouldn't be part of a German 3rd or 4th team if everyone healthy/available for selection.

But if this going to see MVT make a serious team rotation...
Anyomi ---------------- Cerci ---------------- Rall
-------------------------- Freigang ----------------------------------
--------------- Hagel----------------- Dongus --------------
Rauch --- Feldkamp --------- Kleinherne ----- Linder
-------------------------- Tufekovic -----------------------------------
I feel like all 3 GK's will get a full 90 mins, with it being Berger who plays against England; leaving this a perfect moment for Tufekovic to make her debut.

Cerci should also make her first start as a FW for the senior wnt, while Anyomi and Rall come into the attack as the best options available to replace Brand and Buhl, who both need a rest after doing so much defending Vs Spain.

Dongus and Hagel's club form as CM's, make them the most logical options to take part in a rotation of the mid-field. As Freigang's season as a false #9/CAM for Frankfurt; shows she's fully capable of adapting to the same role within a wnt scenario too.

 

Post Oberdorf's latest struggles at CB, there should also be no option but to finally make Kleinherne a regular CB starter now; and this should only see her starting next to Feldkamp in England, if the only other option at CB right now is the even worse error machine called Doorsoun.

Plus I don't know why you'd waste Linder in a wide forward role, when her entire career until this season has seen her excel in FB/CB roles, while she's also in a squad featuring Rall (the leagues 3rd best goal scorer).

Knowing Kössler, and Wieder, impressive young forwards both close to knocking on the wnt's door very soon, Kayikci's addition to this squad continues to confuse me. But I'd rather see Kayikci than have Maier, or Petzelberger anywhere near a German wnt about to face Canada, then England.

 

Canada scores after a corner. Bad defending by Bühl.

 

What a terrible half by Germany...

 

Another example of women's football needing VAR ASAP

 

At least Kleinherne was good today…

 

Even with all the injuries and absences, for this German team to be as competitive as they have been this tournament is quite impressive from a neutral perspective. I love the youth on this team and hope it grows, they'll be fun to watch this summer.

 

Yeah... I'm sure it will be really fun for neutrals watching the once great German wnt struggle against everyone they play...