Outside in the spring sun lie the perfectly trimmed lawns, which have not yet been damaged.

Inside, people are hammering and drilling, construction site vehicles are crossing, unpacked flat-screen televisions are lying around in the rooms.

Germany's best female soccer players will be the first to use the dazzling new home of the German Football Association, the DFB Campus.

National coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg announced her provisional squad of 28 for the European Championships in England on Tuesday.

A first selection, later to be reduced to 23, which should not have caused the coaching team a lot of headaches, nor many players a bitter disappointment.

On the basis of the healthy, operational forces, an ensemble is now preparing without surprising additions or absences.

Starting this Sunday at the first preparatory camp on the greens of the DFB campus.

As unfinished as some of the buildings there are, the German selection looks just as unfinished – for now.

For three years, many months of which were under corona restrictions, the German women have been working towards the European Championships, which have been postponed to this summer (July 6th to 31st).

The group definitely gives off the “good mix of experienced leader types and carefreeness” described by the national coach.

But whether there is sufficient international top quality, individually and collectively, remains the big question.

Because Voss-Tecklenburg was not yet able to transfer the time of personal and tactical experimentation and rotation into a phase of playing in and developing a regular formation.

This should now take place in the next three training camps, two of them in Herzogenaurach, and the only official test international match against Switzerland.

Voss-Tecklenburg relies on block formation

Eight players each come from the top German clubs VfL Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich.

A block formation in the national team could definitely help to ensure stability and order.

Especially since the level of play and athletics in this "certainly great sporting tournament with many outstanding players in all teams" (Voss-Tecklenburg) could set new standards in women's soccer.

What role can the German selection play in this?

The final at London's Wembley Stadium and the overall ninth European title are tempting.

"I have a lot of faith in this team.

It will be difficult to beat us," said the national coach, who does not count her team among the top favourites.

This could lead to "one or the other underestimating us a bit".

In the last two tournaments, the 2019 World Cup and the 2017 European Championship, the final stop was in the quarterfinals.

This summer, a duel with the strong hosts England could already threaten in the round of eight.

But the road to get there is rocky, as the first task is to survive in the demanding Group B, which requires the Germans to concentrate fully from the first kick-off.

If the team doesn't win the opening game against Denmark (July 8th), after all runners-up in the 2017 European Championship, they will be under enormous pressure against top favorites Spain.

Against outsiders Finland it is only in the final group game.

Prince as a sports psychologist

The German players will probably treat the Spaniards with a lot of respect.

In the first leg of the Champions League semifinals, FC Barcelona, ​​who form the backbone of the national team, beat Wolfsburg 5-1, who will probably provide most of the regular German players at the European Championship.

"It is important," said the national coach, "that the axis of players that we have in mind is stable and healthy."

Birgit Prinz, who is highly regarded by Voss-Tecklenburg, is also part of the staff.

The record national player is officially there as a sports psychologist, but for the national coach she is a full "member of the coaching team and an important partner and developer".

Every player can benefit from working with the 44-year-old Prinz.