Germany preview: Back. In black. As dangerous as ever.
As we move closer and closer to the IPCH European Championships 2024, Claus Vestergaard previews each team in order of the World Ranking List. In this edition, he shares his insights on the German national team.
On paper Germany had a very disappointing 2022 world cup. On paper a PCH powerhouse like Germany should be able to progress to the semi finals in a group headlined by themselves, Finland and Denmark. In fact, on paper, they should have a very decent chance of winning the group, historically holding the upper hand over the Danes. A quick loss to Finland in a game that wasn’t particularly close and a close loss to Denmark saw them exit the tournament before it had a chance to get started. On paper, a huge and unacceptable disappointment.
But of course PCH isn’t played on paper, and the German disappointment had an understandable explanation: Team captain Jörg Diehl, and superstar Nasim Afrah were absent due to being struck by Covid-19. Diehl and Afrah, thankfully, would be alright, but they, Afrah in particular, are completely irreplaceable - especially at short notice. Defense-first talisman Kaan Sisik was suddenly tasked with controlling the German offense, and David Huber played the role as the main goalscorer.
By some measure, it worked alright - Germany was pretty much the only team to consistently find weaknesses in the Danish defense, and they came very close to completing the upset, losing 5-6 to the eventual winners.
With Afrah and Diehl back in the squad, Germany figures to return to their usual spot at the very top of the IPCH hierarchy. Dominated by Dreieck Black Knights players, the German team has great cohesion and tons of experience playing alongside each other. They have world class skill from Afrah and goalkeeper Jessica Trommer as well as toughness and spark from Sisik and T-stick Roman Hill. The starting lineup is difficult to predict, Afrah, Sisik and Trommer seem sure starters, and Hill, Diehl, Huber and brothers David and Daniel Bauer will have to fight each other for playing time.
The incredibly tough group A is sure to leave someone disappointed, but if Germany can make it through against the Netherlands and Switzerland, they stand a very strong chance of going all the way: Keeping in mind their strong history against Denmark, neither potential semi-final opponent seems unbeatable. They might just do it, you know.