Turbine Potsdam Head Coach Bernd Schröder has criticized the German Soccer Association DFB in regards to the league schedule being cut short due to early World Cup preparation for Germany’s women’s national team. The normal Bundesliga schedule runs until mid-May and sometimes into June, but it was cut short this year, ending in mid-March.
“It is a problem,” Schröder said.”This also is a distrust in the work of the club coaches.”
Without his national team players – Anja Mittag, Fatmire Bajramaj, Babett Peter, or Jennifer Zietz – Schröder believes his team is at a disadvantage in the Champions League. During this Bundesliga season, clubs were forced to play their games, regardless of kickoff times, attendance, and ground. Bundesliga games were played on turf, partially on weekdays, one game even on a regular Wednesday at 11 a.m. in front of hardly more than 100 in attendance, all to give the national team three months preparation time. Experts like former German international Günter Netzer already criticized the long preparation.
“As defending champion, Germany of course is the big favorite to win the title in the home country,” Netzer said. “It is a big handicap though that the Women’s Bundesliga is already ending in March. Ten weeks preparation for a World Cup is everything but ideal.”