The Germany women’s U19 team have topped their group dominantly in the first Euros qualification round, without losing a point. DFB coach Maren Meinert’s team came out on top against Iceland 1-0 and secured the group win without conceding any goals. Looking to the second round and a possible place in the Euros next year, the former Germany national player still sees a lot of areas to be improved upon.
In an interview with the DFB, Maren Meinert speaks about her players’ lack of efficiency in front of goal, the draw for the second qualifying round and the chance to secure a place at the Euros.
DFB.de: Maren, your team’s place in the second qualifying round is already safe before the final group game. How important was it to win again with another clean sheet in the 1-0 win against Iceland to top the group?
Maren Meinert: It was really important for us to win the group. We played against Kosovo and Montenegro in the games before, who both weren’t very strong sides, so the match against Iceland was an important test for us at a high level.
DFB.de: Your team has marched dominantly into the second round, with nine points and without conceding a goal. Do you agree that they were dominant?
Meinert: You can always talk about dominance after just three games. We have a fresh team made up of players who’ve come up through the younger teams. We can learn from these games because the performance against Iceland wasn’t as dominant as I imagined it would be at times.
DFB.de: What didn’t you like?
Meinert: We had a good plan and made lots of chances, which we should have converted into goals. We missed out on sealing off games earlier, which is important at an international level because other opponents could punish us.
The Germany women’s U19 team have topped their group dominantly in the first Euros qualification round, without losing a point. DFB coach Maren Meinert’s team came out on top against Iceland 1-0 and secured the group win without conceding any goals. Looking to the second round and a possible place in the Euros next year, the former Germany national player still sees a lot of areas to be improved upon.
In an interview with the DFB, Maren Meinert speaks about her players’ lack of efficiency in front of goal, the draw for the second qualifying round and the chance to secure a place at the Euros.
DFB.de: Maren, your team’s place in the second qualifying round is already safe before the final group game. How important was it to win again with another clean sheet in the 1-0 win against Iceland to top the group?
Maren Meinert: It was really important for us to win the group. We played against Kosovo and Montenegro in the games before, who both weren’t very strong sides, so the match against Iceland was an important test for us at a high level.
DFB.de: Your team has marched dominantly into the second round, with nine points and without conceding a goal. Do you agree that they were dominant?
Meinert: You can always talk about dominance after just three games. We have a fresh team made up of players who’ve come up through the younger teams. We can learn from these games because the performance against Iceland wasn’t as dominant as I imagined it would be at times.
DFB.de: What didn’t you like?
Meinert: We had a good plan and made lots of chances, which we should have converted into goals. We missed out on sealing off games earlier, which is important at an international level because other opponents could punish us.
DFB.de: The three games in the first qualification round brought in the new international season. How ready are your team for the season at this early stage?
Meinert: We still have a lot of things to work on in many areas of our game. I don’t want to go into the specifics but it’s clear that we have to improve in defence as well as in attack. The players also have to adapt to the differences between girls’ football and U19s international women’s football as quickly as they can.
DFB.de: The next important date is the 24th November, when the second round draw will be made in Nyon, Switzerland at the UEFA headquarters. Will you be in attendance?
Meinert: I won’t be there personally this time. I’ve realised that I can’t influence the draw in any way (laughs).
DFB.de: It won’t get any easier. While the top two teams go through in the first qualification round, only the top team in each group directly qualifies for the Euros in the second round.
Meinert: That’s why the second round is also known as the elite round. It’s going to be a difficult week and we can’t allow ourselves to make any mistakes. We’ll give it our best and we’ll be well-prepared for the games.
