This text is a part of the Guardian’s Euro 2025 Specialists’ Community, a cooperation between a few of the finest media organisations from the 16 international locations who certified. theguardian.com is working previews from two groups every day within the run-up to the match kicking off on 2 July.
Overview
The previous few years have seen Germany lose a European Championship last, exit the 2023 World Cup on the group stage, and end third on the Olympics. Which begs the query: how good (or dangerous) is the German nationwide staff? Nobody appears to know, not even the gamers, as a few of them have admitted.
The previous two years have additionally been a interval of upheaval. The urgently wanted evaluation of the World Cup needed to wait, as Martina Voss-Tecklenburg took a break however remained in publish. She later revealed that she had suffered from despair and panic assaults earlier than the World Cup. Voss-Tecklenburg’s departure was ultimately introduced in November, with the DFB saying a recent begin was wanted.
Horst Hrubesch was appointed interim coach they usually completed third at Paris 2024 however didn’t at all times play properly. A number of essential gamers – similar to Alexandra Popp, Svenja Huth, Marina Hegering and Merle Frohms – retired from worldwide responsibility after the Olympics.
In March 2024 Christian Wück was lastly given the full-time job. Beneath the 51-year-old issues have been up and down. A really poor first half could be adopted by an impressive second, or vice-versa. Wück has not held again together with his criticism. “Sadly we’re not but the place we wish to be,” he mentioned in March. Klara Bühl admitted in a Kicker podcast “that there had been many “ups and downs”. However she added that could possibly be to Germany’s benefit as a result of “perhaps individuals aren’t anticipating a lot from us”.
Germany have had a profitable 2025 (5 wins and one draw). They had been in high-quality goalscoring kind for his or her final two Nations League video games, beating Netherlands 4-0 and placing six previous Austria with out reply. The primary choice headache for Wück was whether or not to choose Lena Oberdorf. The coach was naturally reluctant to be with out arguably the most effective Germany participant however she had not performed a sport in 2024-25 after tearing her ACL and was not noted ultimately. Wück mentioned Oberdorf was heading in the right direction “however that the European Championship might be too quickly for her”. Eintracht Frankfurt’s Elisa Senß has taken her place.
The coach
There was a whole lot of discuss in regards to the new nationwide staff coach not speaking sufficient. Two gamers, Felicitas Rauch and Nicole Anyomi, complained a few lack of communication from Christian Wück. The outcome? Wück and his staff talked issues by way of and the coach admitted he had acquired it flawed. Communication is vital and he ought to know that now. Wück ended his enjoying profession (having performed 168 Bundesliga video games and gained objective of the month in Could 1993) on the age of 29 due to harm and pursued a training profession. He has spent greater than a decade with the German FA and in 2023 he gained the World Cup with the boys’s under-17 staff. He tends to favour an attacking type.
Star participant
It made excellent sense for Wück to decide on Giulia Gwinn as captain. She is just 25 however has greater than 60 caps, regardless of having torn cruciate ligaments in each knees. “Giulia is an absolute key participant. She is opinionated and a persona who leads the way in which each on and off the pitch,” Wück mentioned. In Could she launched her biography, which went to No 1 on Der Spiegel’s bestseller checklist. Gwinn, who has extra followers on Instagram than some other feminine German footballer is the face of the nationwide staff.
One to observe
Linda Dallmann shouldn’t be new on the scene. She is a four-time German league winner and, at 30, one of the crucial skilled gamers within the aspect. However in some way the technically gifted midfielder has usually been neglected. Not any extra, although. Wück is relying on the playmaker, who, he says, has the power to alter a sport. Dallmann has good spatial consciousness and is calm in possession. It is rather tough to take the ball off her. Along with her, the wingers lastly have a teammate they’ll alternate passes with: a cross into the penalty space shouldn’t be the one possibility.
after publication promotion
Possible lineup
Standing of the home prime flight
In two phrases: in disaster. Between 2002 and 2015, Bundesliga groups gained 9 Champions Leagues however since then different leagues, particularly the WSL, have overtaken the German prime flight. The transfer to professionalism shouldn’t be quick sufficient and that’s the reason the hole between groups continues to be large. In 2024-25 Turbine Potsdam (two-times Champions League winners) had been relegated with out successful a sport. In Europe, Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg weren’t aggressive sufficient to go so far as the semi-finals. Wolfsburg, actually, had been demolished 10-2 on combination by Barcelona.
Lifelike purpose in Switzerland
After the early exit from the 2023 World Cup targets have been lowered. Nonetheless, reaching the quarter-finals continues to be seen as a should. There, Germany may face France or England, once they can be thought-about underdogs.
The Germany staff information was written by Nicholas Horn for Die Zeit.
