DFB Women: Wück nominates the last squad of the year - and encourages Grohs

Wücks final DFB squad of the year

With the nomination of the squad for the two friendlies against Sweden on November 11th in Duisburg (7 p.m.) and against Japan on November 15th in Paderborn (7.15 p.m.), national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg has completed her squad planning for 2022. A total of 27 players will compete for the two international matches against the world's third and eighth-ranked teams. Included in the squad are also five players from the reigning German champions VfL Wolfsburg, who are currently causing a stir in the Champions League. Kathrin Hendrich, Lena Oberdorf, Felicitas Rauch, Jule Brand and Ewa Pajor are part of the DFB squad.

Premiere for FC Bayern talent

One player is particularly happy: FC Bayern talent Sydney Lohmann has been called up to the A-squad for the first time. "Sydney Lohmann is a very hopeful talent who has developed enormously in Munich in recent months and has consistently performed well at a high level, which is also reflected in her performances for the U-20 national team," said Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, explaining her decision. The 19-year-old midfielder has played in all eight Bayern league games so far this season, providing two assists. She is also a regular in the German U-20 national team, for which she has played seven international matches.

Grohs is not discouraged by the left-back problem

The coach is also happy about the return of left-back Giulia Gwinn, who made her comeback after a cruciate ligament rupture at the beginning of September. The 23-year-old from Bayern Munich had to miss the European Championship in the summer due to her injury. With Gwinn and Felicitas Rauch, Voss-Tecklenburg has two left-backs in her squad, but the 54-year-old does not want to rule out other options. "We are always looking for solutions," emphasized the national coach. "At the moment, it is difficult to find players for this position who can also play at a high level internationally. But we have already tried out some things in training that could work.

However, Voss-Tecklenburg does not want to put too much pressure on Rauch, who played as a left-back in the Bundesliga for VfL Wolfsburg during the first half of the season. "Actually, Feli is a central defender. But she played very well in this position, especially in the European Championship final against England. But I don't want to put too much pressure on her. We will see what happens in the next few months." The national coach is confident that the team will manage to compensate for the absence of Sara Doorsoun (knee surgery) and Sophia Kleinherne (torn cruciate ligament) in the long run. "We have a lot of quality in our squad, especially in the defensive area. We will find solutions."

Goalkeeper trio without Frohms

In the goal, Merle Frohms had to pass. The goalkeeper of Eintracht Frankfurt is currently struggling with a fractured vertebra and will be out for several weeks. Instead, Ann-Katrin Berger (Chelsea FC), Almuth Schult (VfL Wolfsburg) and Laura Benkarth (Bayern Munich) will be there. The latter also represented Germany at the European Championship in England in the summer.