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Rabat – Several German news outlets have expressed worries ahead of Monday’s face-off between Germany and Morocco in the group stage of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. After two poor performances in friendly matches ahead of the tournament, the German press are worried their national team could struggle with counter attacks by Morocco’s Atlas Lionesses.
Prominent sports outlet Sport Schau highlighted that “the DFB women have personal worries before the first group game at the World Cup in Australia.” It pointed to the potential absence of two of Germany’s regular central defenders, while talented defensive midfielder Lena Oberdorf is expected to be able to play and support the German defense.
Sport Schau described Germany’s back four as a “construction site,” as head coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg likely needs to replace two defenders, and make the choice whether to risk Oberdorf, who is only just considered to have recovered from injury.
Deutsche Welle (DW) meanwhile pointed to counter attacks as the main cause of concern for Germans, as both Vietnam and Zambia made good use of weaknesses in Germany’s defense. “Against Morocco in their Group H opener, they will come up against a highly-structured team who are technically proficient and have rapid pace on the wings,” the outlet writes, adding that “solutions are required quickly.”
DW sees Morocco as a team that has “confidence in their ability to surprise,” writing that Morocco’s technical and speedy wingers could be a primary point of concern as Germany’s high defensive line makes them vulnerable to counters. Then there is also the factor of motivation, DW analyzed, stressing: “Morocco don’t only want good results, they want to give a good image of African and Arab football.”
German newspaper Bild however argued that while Morocco should be respected, the German team “are clearly favored in the opening game against the runners-up in Africa.” Germany’s recent friendly loss against Zambia does cause some concern for the outlet, as Morocco outperformed Zambia in last year’s Africa Cup, where the team made it to the final in Rabat.
