Now the final is within reach and the German team wants to make their dream of reaching the final come true. They will face the USA again – will they manage to beat the Americans this time, or will they have to admit defeat again? The tips from the 90min-Editorial staff.
Germany among the last four of the Olympic Games? If someone had told me that before the tournament, I probably wouldn’t have believed it. But now the time has come and the DFB women can reach for a medal. But first they have to get rid of a huge obstacle: the USA.
From a spectator’s perspective, the last meeting between the two teams, in which Germany lost, was a bitter disappointment: the DFB women had nothing to offer the USWNT in terms of both athleticism and playing skills. But isn’t it also positive if there is room for improvement? Germany has less to lose than the USA, and most people expect the Americans to win again anyway. However, Team Germany is anything but without a chance.
Despite all their dominance, the USWNT is not invulnerable. The DFB women have to make some adjustments. The quick and hasty ball losses should definitely be stopped. If you let the ball run patiently through your own ranks, you will also find space against the USA that can be used. Defensively, you have to stay wide awake. The opponents’ stormy offensive power is efficient, needs few chances and immediately punishes the smallest mistakes.
After four games in 12 days, both teams had to give it their all. The match will probably be decided by who can mobilize the most energy at the end. Horst Hrubesch has a lot of quality on the bench that he can throw into the match. I expect a combative German team that will do everything it can to reach the final.. I am therefore predicting a surprising 2:1 victory for the DFB women, with the lucky punch coming in extra time.
In the fight for the Olympic medal dream, the German team will once again face the USA in the semifinals. Once again, they will be playing in the pink and purple away jerseys against a white wall that will be difficult to crack. It is clear that the team of successful coach Emma Hayes is going into the match as clear favorites, not least after the 4-1 victory over the Germans in the group phase.
Even if there is a feeling that Horst Hrubesch is falling on deaf ears when it comes to changing the starting lineup, the last encounter with the USA can be seen as a warning signal. Above all, the opposing offensive trio of Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson were often able to do whatever they wanted with the German players. Especially with the last row, which simply couldn’t keep up with the tempo. The only sensible reaction would be to adapt to the Americans’ style of play instead of stubbornly trying to do your own thing, because that just doesn’t work against world-class teams at the moment.
The DFB women have become too easy to predict. This applies not only to the eleven players starting, who have only been changed due to injuries, but also to the approach to the match. Anyone who follows women’s football knows that Germany likes to have long periods of possession, crosses to teammates who are strong in the air in front of the goal and, more recently, often prefers long passes into the depth.
Looking at the USA’s last opponent, Japan, it was clear that the Nadeshiko unexpectedly positioned themselves deep in order to take away the pace and space of the Americans’ offense. The DFB team could adopt a similar tactic so that at least goals against them, such as the goal that made the final score 1:4, can be prevented by a lightning-fast counterattack.
In addition, the German offense must have a brilliant day and take advantage of its chances, which has not always been the case recently. Against the USA, there will not be many opportunities or spaces to steer the game in their direction.
My tip: In my opinion, Germany is not yet ready to keep up with the best nations in the world. Too many simple mistakes and wrong decisions are currently creeping into their own game, coupled with too little willingness to take risks – 2:1 for the USA after extra time.
Horst Hrubesch is not taking part in sailing at these Olympic Games. If he were to take part, it would certainly be in the “Optimist” boat class – although he is a little too tall for that. But Hrubesch always radiates hope, even before the difficult duel with the USA. A mediocre performance against Canada? For Hrubesch, the only thing that counts is progressing: “The team has grown, has matured,” said the interim coach. The next opponent is a world-class team that beat Germany in the group phase? No matter, now we’re starting from scratch again: “They also lost some energy,” said Hrubesch. The clear 1:4 against the Americans? Well, actually not that meaningful: “The result from the preliminary round match is a little misleading when you look at how it came about.” Now Hrubesch is right in the sense that the chances of a medal are not that bad. Ultimately, three of the remaining four teams win medals – one win from two games is enough. Nevertheless, the task against the Stars and Stripes is more complicated than Hrubesch makes it out to be. The USA did lose some ground after their strong group phase (3 wins): They went into extra time against Japan. It was to be expected that this quarter-final would be a tough nut to crack for the USA. Japan’s game structure and coordination are better than Germany’s. For a long time, they managed to do what the DFB women were desperate to do: to take out Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson – albeit at the expense of their own offensive game. A single stroke of genius finally saved the USA. Germany has often shown strength in unexpected moments, so it should be closer than in the group phase. But everything really has to be right for a win.
My tip: 2:1 for the USA
And again we’re playing against the USA: The last game ended in a 1:4 defeat for the DFB team. Now things have to go better, otherwise it will be a similar game to last week. It remains to be seen whether the coaching team and the players have been able to draw their conclusions from the defeat and whether they will make changes.
The USA knows how to hurt Germany and what it takes to beat the German team, and the goal of Emma Hayes and her team is clear: They want to reach the final and win the title. The USA are certainly the favorites going into the match, because even if everything isn’t going well for them, many things are going much better on the field than for the German team. They showed that in the last few games, but in the quarterfinals Japan made life difficult for them and the USA also had to go into overtime. Trinity Rodman then redeemed them.
This tournament is no picnic for any of the teams, as the temperatures are very warm and the matches are fast-paced, and if the games go into extra time, it is certainly physically and mentally exhausting for the players.
The German team must try not to let the USA get into the game and impose their own game. However, I am predicting a 3-1 victory for the USA, as they are currently the stronger team and the German team has repeatedly looked shaky against the equally weak Canadians.
