Euro 2022: Why Germany feel relaxed with pressure off going into final against England

The high spirits in the German camp before the Euro 2022 final were clear to see at Friday's press conference - when striker Alexandra Popp appeared sporting a moustache and a back-to-front baseball cap.

It followed suggestions by a satirical German magazine that, after her exploits at the Euros, she should play for the German men's team at the World Cup in November.

The joint-top scorer in the competition was happy to play along with the joke.

"We joked around at breakfast and said we'd go through with it," the 31-year-old said. Using tape provided by the physios, "I quickly cut a moustache out of that."

Popp's cameo as "Alexander Bopp" showed how relaxed the mood is around the eight-time European champions, who will have Chancellor Olaf Scholz cheering them on from the stands at Wembley when they face England on Sunday.

Win or lose, there will be celebrations. A reception at Frankfurt's city hall will take place on Monday regardless of whether Germany are crowned European champions for a ninth time, extending their own record.

The seventh of their previous eight titles came in Helsinki in 2009, when Birgit Prinz, who now works as a sports psychologist for the team, scored twice in a 6-2 win over England.

Current national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, 54, who had long since ended her playing career by then, prefers to focus more on a recent meeting between the sides - on 9 November 2019.

Her team were invited to a prestigious friendly at Wembley against England in front of 77,768 fans - a record for a Lionesses home international. Merle Frohms with a penalty save, and then Klara Buhl with a late winning goal, gatecrashed the party. "I remember it fondly," says the German goalkeeper.

Merle Frohms saved Nikita Parris' penalty in front of a record crowd at Wembley

Voss-Tecklenburg has made the right personnel and tactical calls so far - just like Sarina Wiegman with England. She has a lot of admiration for the work of the Dutchwoman, whom she knows well from her days as a player.

"We both have very great respect for each other. We know each other well, we know the strengths of the teams," Voss-Tecklenburg said. She added that the result will be decided by the little things, with an closely-contested match anticipated.

As the statistics suggest, this German team relish the defensive battles - they have only conceded one goal at Euro 2022, in the 2-1 semi-final win over France. Yet they have also been tactically flexible. Courageous and creative in the 4-0 victory against Denmark, they then adopted a wait-and-see, defensive approach against Spain, which they won 2-0.

The coach knows that they have also ridden their luck at times, with Austria hitting the woodwork three times in the quarter-final, while France also failed to take their chances.

"You have to force things, be lucky in games, make fewer mistakes," she said. "We will be prepared.

"Sarina has already proven in the Netherlands that she can lead a team to a European Championship title."

Then, she joked: "It would be nice if it stays at one title."

Of course, there is pressure on the German players - because they have won this tournament so many times - but there is greater pressure on their rivals. Germany will, however, be wary of getting overrun by England, as Norway were when thrashed 8-0 in the group stage, and as Sweden were when beaten 4-0 in the semi-finals.

Lena Oberdorf, 20, who has a string of world-class performances to her name, is spurred on, rather than overawed, at the prospect of the showpiece at Wembley.

"We're not just playing England, we're playing the whole nation, it feels like," she said. "But those are also the most beautiful games for me. When the whole stadium is against you, booing you - at best."

From the current squad, only Almuth Schult, Sara Dabritz and Svenja Huth were part of Germany's last group of European champions, in 2013.

It will be crucial that this German side, the nation's new darlings, demonstrate their great defensive strengths against England.

Key to that is Marina Hegering, who wasn't able to take part in full training on Friday because of a slight injury. Without Hegering, the team's defensive leader, they would be missing a player who is as important for Germany as Millie Bright is for England.

It takes a certain robustness to be able to combat the powerful Lionesses, who are unbeaten in 19 games.

But Germany have won 21 of their past 27 international matches, with a backbone of players from double winners Wolfsburg - who helped stop Chelsea progressing from the group stage of the Champions League last season, and then knocked out Arsenal in the quarter-finals.

This is not forgotten in Germany.

So the Lionesses are not indomitable, although an expectant crowd of nearly 90,000 roaring them on may think otherwise.

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