Germany vs. Sweden: Time to shine

Germany is in the quarterfinals – but the national team hasn't been entirely convincing so far. A win against Sweden could help. But how?

It was the 77th minute of the European Championship group match between Poland and Sweden: Left-back Jonna Andersson took a deep breath at the corner flag, raised her arm, and crossed the ball high into the six-yard box. There, Lina Hurtig rose in the air at exactly the right moment and headed the ball into the net to make it 3-0. And thanks to that very header, that very goal, the Swedes are in first place in Group C ahead of their clash with Germany, also on six points but with a one-goal better goal difference. This means that the German national team needs three points to win the group; a draw won't suffice.

And, perhaps even more important than the standings: Unlike favorites from France or Spain, Christian Wück's German team has so far been only moderately impressive. They secured a hard-fought victory against Denmark, but their redemption against Poland came late (and only thanks to a wonder goal from Jule Brand). Their upcoming opponents from Sweden have also been more convincing so far. This means that a win against them would not only have table-level consequences, but also send a signal.

For that to succeed, the German defense must have air supremacy in their own penalty area. Otherwise, they risk conceding goals: Against Poland, the Scandinavians scored all three goals from crosses into the center followed by headers. The third goal came from a corner and showed once again that the Swedes are always good for a goal from set pieces. However, they can also cross and score from open play – they demonstrated this with their first two goals. "We know that they are very physical," said central defender Rebecca Knaak at the DFB press conference, highlighting another of the Swedes' strengths.

“We need to work on our accuracy.”

Further forward – in midfield – the national team also needs to improve in the center. National coach Christian Wück praised Elisa Senß and Sjoeke Nüsken but also warned: "I think that in the first half they still took a few tenths of a second too long to make decisions. If they doubt themselves or decide too late, then they lose challenges." Nüsken took responsibility for the penalty against Denmark and scored the equalizer, but before that she had repeatedly made bad passes – there was still room for improvement in direct duels for the ball too. "We need to work on our passing accuracy," her colleague in central midfield, Elisa Senß, self-critically told Sportschau on Thursday.

Senß was particularly impressive against Denmark with her robust tackling and at the same time avoided a yellow card. At the DFB press conference on the same day, she was asked whether she had been lucky to have escaped a yellow card against Poland. "I would say that my game is always geared towards being very aggressive," she replied, adding: "But it's also completely okay to get a yellow card against such an opponent." This approach also fits with Senß's understanding of her role: "I have to say that Sjoeke ( Nüsken, ed.) definitely plays more as an eight, I play more as a six." The division of tasks therefore seems clear: She is the sweeper and her colleague Nüsken is responsible for the attacking accents.

The German women's record against the Swedish national team is encouraging. In 31 matches so far, the Germans have won 21 times, the Swedes eight times, and the two teams have drawn twice. The German women's record at European Championships is even better: they have won five times, and in 2017, they drew once in the group stage – enough to win the group back then.

Another source of encouragement for the German team is an old habit of Swedish national coach Peter Gerhardsson. He likes to rotate his squad after advancing early to the knockout phase. He did the same thing at the 2019 World Cup on the third group matchday against the USA. He rested a total of seven regular players, and his team lost 2-0 to the Americans. Undeterred, he repeated his rotation at both the 2021 Olympic Games and the 2023 World Cup on the final group matchday. However, the Germans should not rely on a Swedish national team weakened by the rotation, as the Swedes won in 2021 and 2023 despite the changed starting eleven. Ultimately, the German national team will have to improve to win the group. Nevertheless, the critical assessment by the national coach and players is encouraging.