Why new-look Germany are Euro 2025 'dark horses'

Germany's group-stage exit astatine nan 2023 Women's World Cup was some shocking and humiliating for 1 of nan pre-tournament favourites.

The two-time world champions exited nan title 17 days earlier nan last aft failing to scope nan knockout stages for nan first clip successful their history.

Three years later, Germany are a squad transformed pinch caller faces and caput to Euro 2025 pinch a caller head successful Christian Wuck.

"I americium still successful interaction pinch a fewer players and it seems to beryllium that they are a really adjacent squad already," erstwhile Germany midfielder Lina Magull told BBC Sport.

"They are excited for nan tournament. I do consciousness that location is simply a batch of excitement.

"In general, everything is getting person and Germany person thing typical again now. I do deliberation they are benignant of favourites."

So what are Germany's chances successful Switzerland? How does their squad comparison to nan squad that reached nan last successful 2022? And is location a emotion they tin triumph a first awesome title successful 12 years?

It was announced successful March 2024 that Wuck - a erstwhile Germany younker subordinate - would win interim leader Horst Hrubesch aft nan 2024 Olympics successful Paris.

Wuck worked pinch nan German Football Federation for much than a decade and won some nan Under-17 World Cup and European Championship pinch Germany's men.

This is his first managerial domiciled successful nan women's crippled and Magull said nan 52-year-old is "a quiet coach and a quiet leader".

"At nan commencement it was rather difficult for him to understand nan women's mind and really it is to activity pinch adults," she added.

"There were possibly immoderate rules which were not location earlier which you don't request astatine this age. I deliberation complete nan past period he learned a batch astir that. He is very focused connected nan squad pinch clear communication. That is bully for Germany."

Wuck has overseen 10 games pinch nan women's team, winning seven, losing 2 and drafting one.

His first crippled successful complaint was a seven-goal thriller against England astatine Wembley successful October, successful which nan Germans raced to a 3-0 lead wrong half an hr earlier winning 4-3 successful a rematch of nan Euro 2022 final.

Magull was not successful nan Germany squad for their friends triumph complete England, but played a pivotal domiciled successful their way to nan Euro 2022 final.

Voss-Tecklenburg's broadside arrived astatine nan tourney struggling for shape and having suffered a quarter-final exit astatine nan 2019 World Cup successful France.

"We were not nan favourites, but we didn't attraction what different group said astir us," Magull said.

"From nan first game, we realised we tin person a awesome tourney and possibly astonishment immoderate different nations."

Germany went connected to triumph each crippled en way to nan final, conceding conscionable 1 extremity on nan way.

They mislaid their skipper and nan tournament's joint-top scorer Alexandra Popp to wounded successful nan pre-match warm-up, and contempt facing England successful beforehand of a location crowd "it didn't consciousness for illustration we were nan underdogs," said Magull.

"Going into nan last was really special. Unfortunately we didn't win, but for america successful Germany it was a large step. It was sad, but a proud ending for us."

Magull stunned Wembley aft hitting a first-time decorativeness beyond Mary Earps successful nan 79th infinitesimal to level nan necktie and springiness Germany nan momentum going into other time.

Ultimately, it only delayed celebrations for nan Lionesses, pinch Chloe Kelly scoring nan victor to secure their first awesome women's tourney triumph.

"It was 1 of nan champion moments successful my shot life," Magull recalled. "In nan extremity erstwhile you suffer it doesn't mean truthful much, but I cannot dishonesty - it was very special.

"We didn't cognize then, but successful Germany everyone was speaking astir us. So galore group were amazed that we could commencement a caller era successful Germany. Before nan tourney we were not favourites, but aft everyone thought Germany were backmost successful nan crippled connected nan world stage."

Germany's momentum aft Euro 2022 was abruptly halted successful what tin only beryllium described arsenic a rollercoaster 12 months.

"After losing to England we each thought 'OK, Germany tin conflict for titles again'," Germany shot journalist Alejandro Diago told BBC Sport. "But 1 twelvemonth later it came crashing down pinch a unspeakable World Cup exit."

A tie pinch South Korea successful Brisbane saw Voss-Tecklenburg's broadside suffer an early exit.

"It's difficult to opportunity successful words but it is conscionable nan worst emotion ever erstwhile you cannot show up for illustration you did conscionable 1 twelvemonth before," Magull said.

"It was a large disappointment and that was a motion that we had to alteration something."

And past nan changes came.

Voss-Tecklenburg near her domiciled by communal consent successful November 2023 and Horst Hrubesch arrived connected an interim ground to dependable nan ship, guiding Germany to a bronze badge astatine nan Paris Olympics.

"Hrubesch was nan evident solution to put Germany backmost connected track," Daigo said. "Since nan first moments he won nan locker room, he won nan spot of nan players and they [had] a very bully tournament."

Magull was not picked to correspond Germany successful Paris and successful March 2025 she made nan difficult determination to denote her world retirement.

Along pinch Alexandra Popp, Svenja Huth, Melanie Leupolz, Marina Hegering, Sara Doorsoun and Merle Frohms, Magull is 1 of 7 players from Germany's 2023 World Cup squad to person called clip connected their world careers and will not characteristic astatine Euro 2025.

Germany will besides beryllium without Bayern Munich midfielder Lena Oberdorf successful Switzerland, who is still recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

"A immense magnitude of important players person retired," Diago said. "It's a caller era, a caller coach and we are seeing moreover pinch nan controversies and not calling up players which made a mini occurrence wrong nan locker room, results are pinch Wuck.

"He is putting successful immoderate youngsters and Germany are playing successful a coagulated way. As a caller group, they want to make history and I deliberation they can."

There whitethorn beryllium less acquainted faces for Germany astatine Euro 2025, but nan squad captained by Giulia Gwinn has shown immense committedness and precocious booked their spot successful nan Nations League semi-finals.

England's grounds women's goalscorer Ellen White - who played against Germany successful nan 2022 last - believes Wuck's broadside are 1 of nan favourites.

"They are very well-structured, technically very gifted, strong, powerful," she said.

"They cognize really to triumph shot matches, they cognize really to almost rattle you astatine nan aforesaid time. They person sewage everything it takes to triumph a awesome tournament.

"I person seen their Nations League games and wow – they person blown a batch of teams retired of nan water. They person an astonishing younker and a consciousness of freedom. The measurement they are capable to hit nan press, spell done nan lines pinch free-flowing shot was really bully to watch. It's awesome for Germany and scary for everyone else."

Former Lionesses defender Anita Asante believes Germany are going "under nan radar".

"Historically they person this immense legacy. The caller procreation are coming done and location is thing brewing there," she added.

Germany whitethorn beryllium softly going astir their business, but Diago believes this could beryllium their year.

"Germany are a acheronian equine of nan tournament," he said. "There is expectancy astir what they tin do. Germany has a due squad to compete successful nan Euros.

"Let's spot if they tin spell and triumph it."