By Karolos Grohmann
(Reuters) – Germany’s lack of international titles in the past decade will count for nothing when the two-time world champions kick off their Group H campaign against Morocco on July 24 at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg fine-tuned preparations with a 2-1 win against Vietnam and another friendly match against Zambia before they head Down Under will offer the Germans the chance to hit the ground running at the World Cup.
Germany’s track record has been one of tremendous success with two World Cup victories and a staggering eight European crowns.
They won consecutive World Cups in 2003 and 2007 to establish themselves as one of the powerhouses of the women’s game.
Having dominated every single European Championship from 1995 to 2013, the Germans rightly laid a claim to be among the top teams in the world for more than two decades.
But their last international title, apart from an Olympic gold in 2016, is now a decade old and their 2022 runners-up spot to England in the European Championship is their best result since 2013.
They reached the quarter-finals in the 2019 World Cup but for next month their key match could come even earlier.
“We want to build on what we showed at the European Championship (in 2022),” Voss-Tecklenburg said. “Attractive, attacking and creative football with a look towards the offensive.
“We want to be there to pose problems to our opponents and at the end of the day we want to play very successful football.”
Voss-Tecklenburg is no stranger to success herself, with four European titles under her belt as a player.
Since taking over in 2018, however, she has yet to deliver the next international title that until a decade ago seemed to come automatically with the Germany job.
“We want to have fun (at the World Cup) and control the game and that is what we will be working towards,” the 55-year-old said.
“We know we need to improve some things that we did not do well in the past few internationals.”
The Germans have won two of their last five internationals, having also lost to the United States and Brazil.
Should they top their group with games also against Colombia and South Korea, as is largely expected from them, they will face the runners-up of Group F that includes Brazil, France, Panama and Jamaica.
“I have a lot of faith in my players. We want to be in the tournament as long as possible,” Voss-Tecklenburg said. “It will likely be France or Brazil in the round of 16 and that already is one big task.
“We want to get into the flow until then.”
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
