Meinert gives youth a chance

She may be gearing up for a "transitional tournament" with a host of players that will be eligible for this tournament next year in FYR Macedonia, but Germany coach Maren Meinert is in typically bullish mood ahead of the UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship.

Semi-final minimum
Germany disappointed 12 months ago, losing out in the last four after a dramatic penalty shoot-out against Norway. It is testament to their status at this level that semi-final elimination constitutes a disappointment – they have won five of the eleven competitions at U18 and U19 level – and despite a young squad and a tough draw for the group stage, Meinert has high hopes for Belarus. "We are in a lucky position because, as hosts, we don't have to qualify for the 2010 FIFA U-20 World Cup," she told uefa.com. "This means Belarus will be a transitional tournament for us, but this doesn't take anything away from our aim to reach at least the semi-finals.

Youthful complexion
"We have a very young team and it's going to be interesting to see how the players emerging from the U17 setup can deal with the new challenge," continued the 35-year-old. "It will be important to work well together as a team, then anything is possible. But you can only see how the team is likely to develop when the tournament starts." Germany may need to hit the ground running. Their first outing in Group A, against France on 13 July, will be "a real challenge" according to Meinert before a meeting with a Switzerland side that accounted for holders Italy in qualifying. "It's going to be very difficult for us from the beginning," the coach said.

Arduous season
Germany finish the group by taking on hosts Belarus but Meinert concedes that with little to choose between the qualifiers, finals draws "aren't very exciting for me anymore". Instead she is focused on her own charges, with 17-year-old striker Dzsenifer Marozsan – scorer of seven goals in Germany's three qualifiers – among those promoted from the U17 side crowned European champions only 12 months ago while Alexandra Popp and Marina Hegering helped FCR 2001 Duisburg to UEFA Women's Cup glory. Indeed, it was a long, arduous campaign for many and the U19s have been limited to just one short training camp. "That's less than normal, but we tried to deal with it playing against strong opponents England (1-0 win) and the United States (2-2). We will try to make the best out of it." Germany, it seems, nearly always do.