How many players did 1. FFC Frankfurt release at the last major women's football tournament, the 2019 World Cup in France?
Exactly zero.
As a new signing, Brazilian Leticia Santos was at least one World Cup participant.
Three years later, now playing under the name Frankfurter Eintracht, almost half the squad is (was) in action at the European Championships.
We are talking about twelve players – if you include Merle Frohms and Sandrine Mauron, who are leaving the club this summer.
The Swiss Mauron and Geraldine Reuteler and the Icelandic Alexandra Johannsdottir were eliminated with their teams after the group stage.
But when there is a quarter-final duel between the DFB selection and Austria this Thursday evening (9 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the European Football Championship and on ARD and Dazn) in London, then eight Eintracht players will face each other in the squad .
Kleinherne, Anyomi, Freigang and Doorsoun for Germany, Dunst, Hanshaw, Feiersinger and Kirchberger for the Austrians.
"I'm really looking forward to the game," says SBU head coach Niko Arnautis and predicts: "Friendships will rest these days.
The winners will definitely come back to us with broad shoulders and the losers will have to take a beating.”
The outcome of this game and the European Championship in England in general has had an enormous impact on Arnautis' work.
Not that time is running out until the start of the Bundesliga, which isn't until mid-September.
No, the Champions League qualifying tournament scheduled four weeks before the start of the league is causing headaches in a summer that is extremely busy in women's football.
Because in addition to the European Championship starters, Leticia Santos at the Copa America and Carlotta Wamser, Madeleine Steck and possibly also the long-injured Camilla Küver at the U-20 World Cup are traveling with high intensity.
In the Corona period, some postponed tournament dates had accumulated.
"It's a special constellation this year," says Arnautis.
One that gave the 42-year-old "many thoughts" at home in Frankfurt
Discussions with his coaching staff and constantly updated personnel planning for all eventualities.
Who will come back when and in what condition?
Who needs rest for how long before it can continue in Eintracht-Dress?
Assuming the German national players reach the final in Wembley on July 31st and then get a week off, they would not return to SGE until the short training camp from August 9th to 13th.
A training camp that Arnautis wants to use to "customize us in full formation".
Because at the mini-tournament in the Danish town of Hjörring from August 18th to 21st, you need two wins from two games to keep the chance of participating in the group stage.
"So we can't see how things are going first, we have to work immediately," says Arnautis.
At Eintracht, they "put on the map that we don't have ten newcomers, but are a well-rehearsed group that will be easier to find each other".
There is nothing less at stake than the months of hard work of the previous season, when the Hessians were only able to secure the longed-for third place in the table on the last day of the Bundesliga match.
In any case, the European Championship participants should also be highly motivated to finally be able to present themselves internationally in the club in the new season.
The Eintracht players who stayed at home have meanwhile been in training operations filled with young players from the second team since the beginning of last week.
Sophia Kleinherne and Nicole Anyomi had a special kind of awakening experience during Germany's last group match against Finland.
Kleinherne scored the opening goal, Anyomi scored to make it 3-0 - for both of them it was their first goal ever in DFB dress.
Sara Doorsoun was also rotated into the starting XI, Laura Freigang came on as a substitute for her first minutes of the tournament.
Three wins and 9-0 goals after the group stage: "This is a starting position that we deserve," says 22-year-old Kleinherne.
"There are minor things to criticize again, but we will correct them by the quarter-finals."
Meanwhile, her Austrian club colleague Barbara Dunst feels comfortable playing the role of outsider in the quarter-finals.
“In Germany, people expected to meet Norway.
Now we've shown that some people have to take us into account," said the midfielder, who played a strong Bundesliga season for Eintracht.
Coach Arnautis advises the DFB entourage in England to beware of the “Austrians who should not be underestimated”, who are “strong in terms of running and defense and a close-knit community”.