“A historically lousy Germany” – Welt. “DFB Women Light Years away from the World Top” – Bild. “One big defeat and many small ones” – Der Spiegel. These were just some of the headlines that emerged in the aftermath of Germany’s bruising 4-1 defeat at the hands of Sweden in their final Group C match.
In just a matter of days, the optimism surrounding Germany’s chances has seemingly dissipated. Despite qualifying for the quarter-finals with a game to spare, Christian Wück’s side have looked far from cohesive and defensively frail. They were also exposed by a Sweden attack that understood how to exploit their weaknesses. Carlotta Wamser’s red card was certainly a factor but there are long-standing structural issues that should be a cause for concern with an in-form France to come on Saturday in Basel.
