Women's European Football Championship | Unsettled into the quarterfinals: DFB women against France

Something isn't quite right with the German women's soccer team at this European Championship . Klara Bühl provides the most recent example. It would be naive for the FC Bayern attacker not to change the German team's play after their disappointing performance against the Swedes . After all, the 4-1 defeat at the end of the group stage was the heaviest defeat for a German national team at a European Championship. And the attacking French await in the quarterfinals this Saturday in Basel.

But something astonishing must have happened in Switzerland . According to Bühl's words from Thursday, after the difficult opening victory against Poland, the very difficult win against the Danes, who were ultimately eliminated without a point, and the defensive disaster in the encounter with Sweden, a "belief" has indeed developed that they can "make a difference" at the European Championship . By this, Bühl means "to win the next three games." The title, in other words. The German women's soccer team entered the tournament with this goal, but the 24-year-old didn't reveal what might have maintained or even strengthened their belief over the course of the tournament.

Luck of the runner-up

The German women's soccer team's worst result to date at a European Championship was their quarter-final exit in 2017 – with an overwhelmed national coach Steffi Jones . The search for a hint of hope that coach Christian Wück 's first tournament won't end in such disappointment leads first to their opponents. As runners-up in Group C, the German women's team unwittingly but fortunately avoided a quarter-final against the English, who performed particularly well as a team. Although the defending champions lost their opening match to France, they gradually improved – and after a remarkable quarter-final against Sweden on Thursday evening, they are in the semi-finals.

Wück and his players can now take heart from the historic realization that the French have never won a tournament match against a German national team. To avoid the first time, which always happens in football at some point, on Saturday, the German women's soccer team should rely on their own strengths: attack the opponent early and, above all, put pressure on them with their own offensive moves. It is precisely in such situations that the young and inexperienced French team feels uncomfortable, revealing some weaknesses against the Netherlands and even Wales.

With their potent attacking power, which was also evident in the matches against Denmark and Sweden, the German national team can truly pose a threat to any opponent. That's why Wück repeats phrases like this: "We don't have to hide from any nation." However, all the discussions about the German women's soccer team and the national coach wouldn't exist if it weren't their strong attacking play, but rather their fatal defensive weaknesses that were so decisive, so that no one objected to the classification of the match against the Swedes as a debacle. Given the visibly great uncertainty and the players' partial helplessness in this match, it's all the more surprising why the team is still talking about the title.

Risky game

"There will be changes," announced midfield boss Sjoeke Nüsken. National coach Wück, who wisely doesn't want to throw his entire strategy out the window and continue to rely on a high-pressure attacking game, will restructure the defense. However, it's not enough to simply replace players there. Not much will change if, for example, Rebecca Knaak, who is rightly criticized but by no means solely responsible for this, is replaced by Kathrin Hendrich in central defense, or if a wide position is filled. The problems are systemic. By now, everyone knows how risky we play, explained captain and defensive leader Janina Minge with astonishing openness.

As always, it's all about balance in the game. Why the team, after world-class attacks, allows itself to be easily duped defensively like a local league team remains a mystery even to those involved. "We don't know exactly what the problem is," said Nüsken, pointing to a possible solution. "Hopefully, we've found something that will help us," she explained after discussions with the sports psychologist. Perhaps this also explains Bühl's overly exuberant optimism. Or perhaps it's the fact that the match plan against France has been clear since Thursday, as she said. In any case, the German women's soccer team shouldn't be thinking about the title on Saturday.