National coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg tightened the reins a little on the second day after the national team’s arrival in the World Cup host country Australia. The relaxed warm-up program of the day before was followed by a sweaty exercise session on Friday (07/14/2023).
The increased training workload apparently did not pose a problem for the national soccer players despite the 27-hour journey from Frankfurt/Main to Sydney via Dubai. On the training ground in the Central Coast Regional Sporting & Recreation Complex in Wyong, where the DFB team set up its base camp there was a good and concentrated mood.
“We’ve more or less overcome the jet lag, so things can get down to business now,” said goalkeeper Merle Frohms.
Frohms calls for concentrated defensive work
The bottom woman from runners-up and cup winners VfL Wolfsburg has no problems with the consequences of the time difference, but with Australia’s poisonous wildlife. “I first had to look in the corners of the room, pushed the curtains aside, checked the covers and everything under the bed,” said the 28-year-old about her “spider check” when she moved into the Mercure Kooindah Waters Hotel .
With a view to the fine-tuning before the start of the World Cup on July 24 (10:30 a.m. CEST/ZDF) against Morocco in Melbourne, it is “quite good that we still have a few units for content and can adapt well to the opponent”.
Frohms sees the defensive work in the coming days as particularly important. “Of course, there will be a focus on the defensive, so that we all want to defend again. That made us strong as a team at the European Championship and made us excellent,” explained the woman from Wolfsburg.
Hegering and Oberdorf only train individually
Her two ailing clubmates Marina Hegering and Lena Oberdorf were unable to train with the team on Friday either. Midfield clearer Oberdorf (thigh injury) sat down on the ergometer right at the beginning of the unit, defense chief Hegering (bruised heel) joined them a little later.
Both suffered their injuries in the botched World Cup dress rehearsal in Fürth against Zambia (2:3).