Bayern Munich Frauen and Wolfsburg Frauen may have been sparring with each other for several seasons at the top of the Frauen-Bundesliga, but it hasnt always been those two that have dominated the German womens game. Back in the noughties and early 2010s, there was another powerhouse in the mix, with Turbine Potsdam winning six top-flight titles between 2003 and 2013 (the only former East German side to win the league) and finishing as runners-up on four other occasions. They also lifted the Champions League trophy two times and were finalists in two different editions of the tournament during that period.
Sadly, the clubs more recent history will not be looked upon with as much fondness, with them being one of Germanys last independent womens clubs and last season seeing their run finally come to an end as they finished bottom of the table and saw their 26-year stay in the top flight come to an abrupt end.
Their maiden campaign in the 2. Frauen-Bundesliga threatened to see them carry on with that poor run after three defeats in three at the beginning of the campaign, but things have started to look up for the former champions with a run of six straight victories (all of which have been clean sheets) and them now sitting just four points off leaders Hamburg Frauen at the time of writing.
What has been especially noticeable during that run is that they have attained those results without being exceptionally productive in front of goal. They have only found the net once per game on average during their opening nine matches (with their nine goals the lowest in the top half of the division), and, as this tactical analysis will show, that makes for an interesting story as to how they are managing to stay in the promotion race.
Accuracy in transition
When watching Turbine Potsdam play, what becomes immediately clear is that there is a heavy reliance on transitions as a way of moving the ball up the field in the most efficient manner possible, and this is certainly one way that they can dominate games and ensure that their opponents dont have a great chance of taking the points.
More often than not, their immediate focus is on creating space and making the pitch as big as possible, with their tactics based on being expansive with the ball and not making it easy for their opponents to attempt interceptions. That is immediately obvious here, with Potsdam negating Bayern Munich IIs attempt to surround the ball by giving themselves width and allowing them to play the ball out of danger before any significant pressure is applied.
The accuracy with which Maya Hahn passes to Lina Vianden (out of shot) here is essential to note because, whilst there is a sizeable gap for the ball to travel through, there is still the risk of the pass going astray and an interception being made, and the lack of Potsdam players between the ball and the goal, if that were to happen, would mean that any counterattack could end up in a goal.
Fortunately for Potsdam, this is rarel
