German national team in the Nations League: The search for the new number 1

Ann-Katrin Berger looked quite duped when the ball whizzed through her legs, even though the mistake had happened before the 0:1 in the Nations League against the Netherlands . Berger was also unable to do much to stop the equalizer to make it 2:2; this time the ball flew against her path after a header, and again others could have, and should have, prevented it. Both moments should therefore have been included in the evaluation sheet with mitigating circumstances. But the situation is just like this: Even for an experienced and proven goalkeeper like the 34-year-old Berger, it is important to have as many good moments as possible. Because she is under special observation.

A few days ago, national coach Christian Wück announced that Giulia Gwinn from FC Bayern will lead the German national team as captain after four interim assignments. The first international match of the year last Friday was Gwinn's debut as official leader, so this issue is already settled four months before the start of the European Championship in Switzerland (July 2nd to 27th). Wück still has a bit of time to decide exactly how he will fill the attack, midfield and defense departments. But he should decide quickly on the number one goalie. Too many unanswered questions do not contribute to the stability of a team - and that has been lacking for some time in the German defense.

Christian Wück spent a lot of time complaining about the 2-2 draw against the Netherlands in the first international match of the year. Although he sees tried and tested strengths in the offense, the defense remains a "challenge," as the national coach says.

"We want to create clarity," Wück announced before the start of the international season: "We want to have a clear distribution of roles by the second Nations League phase at the latest." The first Nations League phase will end this Tuesday with the match against Austria (6:15 p.m., ZDF), the second is scheduled for the beginning of April, with two games against Scotland (on April 4 in Dundee and four days later in Wolfsburg). The 90 minutes plus x that will now be used to collect application material in Nuremberg's Max-Morlock Stadium therefore have a certain significance. And the starting position changed shortly beforehand.

In addition to Ann-Katrin Berger, the national coach had also nominated Stina Johannes from Eintracht Frankfurt and Sophia Winkler from SGS Essen. But on Sunday evening, the German Football Association ( DFB ) published the news that Winkler had sustained "a serious injury to her left knee" during training. The exact diagnosis was not announced by either the association or the club, only this much: After the examination in Erlangen, Winkler left immediately. The 21-year-old made her debut against Switzerland in 2024 and kept a clean sheet in the 6-0 win - which was also due to the opponents being harmless in attack - but Winkler has long been considered a great hope for the future. Wück might have given her another opportunity against Austria to position herself for the European Championships. He had already given her a good chance of taking part, but that may no longer be the case.

In terms of the number of appearances, the differences between Berger's 18 international matches are not great: Johannes has only played one more game than Winkler. But don't be fooled by this, Johannes has been around for a while and has played significantly more minutes in the Bundesliga. But the 25-year-old shares the fate of many a good goalkeeper in Germany: There was always a better one: Nadine Angerer had to wait forever to succeed Silke Rottenberg. Almuth Schult had a similar experience with Angerer . Merle Frohms also needed patience. The fact that the situation is somewhat different now and the younger players can be more hopeful is also due to the fact that Frohms, 30, surprisingly retired from the national team in September.

The long-time number one was demoted before the Olympic Games by interim national coach Horst Hrubesch, who put his faith in Berger - who rose to become a penalty hero in France and played a major role in winning the bronze medal. German fans subsequently named her Footballer of the Year, and in the USA Berger, who plays for Gotham FC, was named the league's best goalkeeper. Knowing Frohms's ability, Wück immediately announced a goal-scoring competition . When he did so, however, he would have been thinking primarily of a duel between Berger and Frohms. He was less concerned with the question of whether he would prefer to rely on experience in his first tournament as women's national coach or whether the generational change is also reflected in this position.

Alexandra Popp initiated the change in the captaincy with her departure , and in defense it was Marina Hegering with her resignation - players like Rebecca Knaak are currently getting a chance because the experienced players Sara Doorsoun (33, Eintracht Frankfurt) and Kathrin Hendrich (32, VfL Wolfsburg) are injured. In goal, on the other hand, a change would be actively preferred - and that would demote Berger. "He probably has a good reason for not committing himself yet," Berger recently told Kicker , adding in her pragmatic way: "The only thing I can do is play what I can."

Last year, Wück filled the position in different positions. Berger was in goal for his debut at Wembley Stadium against England (4:3), Johannes followed against Australia (1:2), Winkler against Switzerland and Ena Mahmutovic from FC Bayern against Italy (1:2), who has now been nominated for Winkler and has joined the national team from the U23s. The 21-year-old came into focus in the autumn after Maria Luisa Grohs was diagnosed with cancer. Grohs has recovered and is back, but Mahmutovic has taken over the regular place at FC Bayern for the time being; the European Championships come too soon for Grohs.

Anyone who wanted to could see a hint of the outcome of the decision-making process on the backs of the shirts of Berger, Johannes, Winkler and Mahmutovic. Berger wore the number 12 at the Olympics, but after that only her shirt was flocked with the number 1, the 12 having passed from Johannes to Winkler and to Mahmutovic. Even if Wück did not want this to be interpreted as a statement, it can be assumed that in discussions with goalkeeping coach Michael Fuchs, who will make the decisive recommendation, he will probably speak in favor of Berger's experience and calmness.

She did make one of her usual bad passes against the Netherlands (without any consequences). But her saves and her "brutal" presence, according to midfielder Sjoeke Nüsken, outweighed them. Berger also repeatedly made a decisive contribution to the build-up of the game with precise long balls, and not just in her most recent appearance. Wück was certainly satisfied after the 2:2 draw in the Netherlands: Berger intercepted everything and did the job as the coaching team expected. Perhaps this praise was the final indication of the decision - regardless of whether Berger can continue to get into shape for the European Championships with the defense against Austria, with the number 1 on his back.