In the last season of the women’s Bundesliga, the relegation battle was extremely exciting: Turbine Potsdam was knocked out early on, but the race remained open until the end. An interesting relegation battle is also emerging this season – a promoted team has great ambitions, and other teams have also strengthened themselves well. We introduce the teams fighting to stay in the league.
As a promoted team, things are traditionally difficult – and staying in the league won’t be easy for FC Nürnberg. The Franconians rose to second place in the 2nd Bundesliga, one point ahead of Gütersloh. The race was very close behind Leipzig, who were confirmed to be promoted early on. Nuremberg could even afford eight defeats and still rose thanks to a strong second half of the season.
The FCN has by far the youngest squad in the women’s Bundesliga (average: 21.8 years) and is starting the new season with many players under 20. Before the start of the season, the club was also plagued by injury problems, with regular goalkeeper Lea Paulick being out until around the end of the year.
It remains to be seen how much coach Thomas Oostendorp can rotate. The 30-year-old only took up his position this summer; promotion coach Osman Cankaya will now concentrate on his duties as sporting director. Of course, this change is also a challenge.
During the summer break, Nuremberg strengthened itself with six players, most of whom come from abroad or from the 2nd Bundesliga. The preparation went well with a win against Ajax Amsterdam and a draw against Frankfurt – but the gap between the first and second leagues is very large.
Staying in the league will be a mammoth task for Nuremberg – but Meppen and Duisburg showed last season that even the underdogs can keep up with tactical discipline and a clear plan. You shouldn’t write off Nuremberg.
Duisburg’s best goalscorer, Yvonne Zielinski / Christof Koepsel/GettyImages
Duisburg’s relegation last season was a bit of a sensation because the Zebras had been promoted to second place in the women’s Bundesliga and had a lower quality team than the competition. But MSV made up for this with the consistent implementation of the typical underdog strategy: stand securely at the back and then achieve success with long balls.
It wasn’t always pretty to see, but the plan worked. In the end, Duisburg had 18 points and ended up in 10th place, one point ahead. Duisburg rarely had a chance against the teams from the first half of the table, so the goal difference was significantly worse than that of the competition – but MSV won many “six-point games”.
But things won’t get any easier for the zebras in the second season. If they want to stay in the league, Duisburg has to create more chances, because last season they were above-average efficient, with Yvonne Zielinski scoring the most goals. Now some new players have been added to the attack, and as in recent years, Duisburg is again relying on some Americans.
Goalkeeper Ena Mahmutovic will probably be the most important player again. She also had her hands full last season and drove many opponents to despair. The 19-year-old was even invited to the DFB team as a reward for her strong performances – Duisburg will also be counting on her this season, but whether that will be enough remains to be seen.
Highlight of last season: In the big stadium against Eintracht Frankfurt / Mika Volkmann/GettyImages
1. FC Köln has had a very turbulent season. In between, the Rhinelanders remained without a win for eleven games and found themselves in the relegation zone. In the end, Effzeh saved themselves, but the winless streak was still a reality check for the ambitious club, which actually sees itself in the upper midfield.
The road to get there will also be long next season. The catastrophic last season had consequences: coach Sascha Glass had to leave, but some players also left the cathedral city. The departure of homegrown Ally Gudorf (SC Freiburg) is particularly painful, but other regular players such as Manon Klett, Myrthe Moorrees and Mandy Islacker also left the club.
Like last season, Cologne has to cope with upheaval and start again. It could take some time for the team to come together. Martyna Wiankowska (from Potsdam) and Dora Zeller (BK Häcken) should provide the goals, and top striker Selina Cerci should now be completely fit again after her comeback.
But the defense also needs to be more stable than last season, and most of the experienced back four are no longer there. If the players fulfill their potential, staying in the league should actually be possible – but it won’t be easy.
RB Leipzig is not a normal newcomer. This is due to the structure and financial possibilities of the club, which, like the men’s side, has great ambitions. The women’s department was only founded in 2016, and now Leipzig plays in the Bundesliga – according to the plan, it should have happened in 2021, but then Gütersloh and Co. gave the Saxons a leg up.
Now, after a confident championship in the second division, Leipzig has made it to the long-awaited first floor. If those responsible have their way, the Champions League should follow in a few years. Staying in the league should only be an interim step.
With its involvement in women’s football, the club is also trying to polish up its image. No expense or effort is spared for this. “We can draw on the full potential here,” said former national player and head of the women’s football department, Viola Odebrecht. Money is not a problem in Leipzig, even if, as she assured, they wouldn’t get Alexandra Popp at first.
It’s not enough for Popp, but it is for strong Bundesliga players. Leipzig signed Sandra Starke from Wolfsburg and Lydia Andrade, who caused a lot of excitement in the SV Meppen jersey last season. In addition, Leipzig has a great attacking talent in 21-year-old Vanessa Fudalla and a meticulous coach in Saban Uzun.
Staying in the league will still not be child’s play, many players have no Bundesliga experience and Leipzig will certainly have to learn the lessons. But they already proved in the cup last season with wins against Essen and Frankfurt that they can keep up – staying in the league would be no surprise.
Bremer Torjubel / Cathrin Mueller/GettyImages
International flair on the Weser: Werder Bremen has strengthened itself this summer with some interesting players, including two World Cup participants. Coach Thomas Horsch now has two good keepers to choose from in goal: the Swiss Livia Peng and the Colombian Catalina Perez.
The previous number 1, Anneke Borbe, moved to Wolfsburg. Otherwise, the squad stayed together quite well and the regular players remain loyal to Werder. There are also some solid Bundesliga players in Juliane Wirtz, Lisa Josten and Sophie Weidauer.
Werder has done a good job on the transfer market, so staying in the league is quite possible. In the medium term, the Bremen team want to establish themselves in a secure midfield. Last season, Werder was in the fight to stay in the league for a long time, but was happy with eighth place.
Bremen relies on a very stable defense and good standards. Scoring goals is traditionally a problem – SVW didn’t create enough good chances, but scored a lot of points from a few goals. Last season they already improved offensively – it’s quite possible that the trend will continue upwards.
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