World Cup Corner

The current defending champions of both world and European women’s football are now looking better and stronger than they have ever been. With an impressive lineup, from its coach to its players, the winning team from Germany is all set to keep hold of the much-sought-after title in this year’s World Cup tournament in China. The team is hoping to retain its title in the tournament through its aggressive technical, tactical, and physical expertise. Looking at the team’s past record, its current position, and the winning players that make it up, there is little doubt that they will be able to achieve what they set out to do in this year’s tournament.

The strength of the German squad has been known in the world of women’s football to be unsurpassable. In the past, the squad has a clean record of always qualifying for the World Cup tournaments. In 1991, they came fourth in the tournament held in China. They were also runners-up in the 1995 tournament in Sweden. Aside from that, they were also quarter finalists during the USA tournament in 1999. Four years later, they finally won the world title. More recently, the squad won all of their eight World Cup qualifiers, which eventually led them to the 2007 China tournament. In sum, they netted 31 goals and took possession of eight.

Now, with some recent changes, the squad is expecting an even better experience in this year’s World Cup, and the football world lies in anticipation. The biggest change in the German squad in recent years is probably Silvia Neid’s ascent to the position of head coach. From her former post as assistant coach, Silvia Neid won the position over former Germany head coach Tina Theune-Meyer in 2005 after she steered Germany towards the world title in the Thailand games in 2004. Her track record shows that Neid has won three European championships and seven German league titles. Although she experienced defeat in the 1995 World Cup finals in Sweden, this does not taint her record at all. In fact, her wide experiences in both victory and defeat will enable her to lead the German squad wisely and skillfully. Now holding the ball for the German squad, Neid’s objective is to maintain the squad’s high level of achievement and success. She also aims to keep the team firmly rooted on top of women’s football.

Aside from head coach Silvia Neid, the team is also made up of an impressive lineup of players. Despite the absence of Silke Rottenberg due to an injury, her post is now occupied by Nadine Angerer. In addition to a complete and an undoubtedly strong squad, Germany also boasts of its individual players and their relentless skills. The top heroines of the team now include Birgit Prinz, Renate Lingor, and Kerstin Stegemann. Birgit Prinz is also the reason for why the team was able to net 31 goals in their World Cup qualifiers. Because of her unquestionable skill in bagging scores, Brigit Prinz has been named two-time FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year and is known as a scorer to watch out for. Coupled with the equally impressive skills of world-class midfielder Renate Lingor, as well as that of Kerstin Stegemann as defender with over 150 caps in her record, the future of the squad from Germany sure looks positively as bright and promising as their past.

The world of women’s football is now eager to know whether the team is as competent and skillful as their history shows to retain their title. As the competition intensifies, the solid team is relying on its head coach, its top striker, midfielder, and defender, as well as on its proven strength on the field. Indeed, Germany definitely has some impressive and promising tricks up its sleeve.