The Frauen-Bundesliga has many big names, with the likes of Alex Popp, Lina Magull and Laura Freigang playing in Germany’s first tier. However, there are even more promising young players with great potential.
After seven match days, some players have already stood out and seem to be having a breakout season. Here are four Frauen-Bundesliga players you should definitely keep an eye on moving forward.
Ally Gudorf — Right-back, 1. FC Köln
Embed from Getty ImagesAlly Gudorf is a Köln player through and through. Born and bred in the city, she has spent her entire career there, except for one spell in the USA. Now, Gudorf is thriving and the dynamic right-back has attracted lots of attention this season.
The 21-year-old may not be the tallest player at 1.58 m, but she often is one of the biggest threats on the pitch. Fast and active, Gudord is a very attacking full-back and often stays high up on the pitch.
Gudorf is known for her ability to drive the ball and plays a vital role in Cologne’s build-up play. Her strength in attacking is no coincidence, as she has mostly played as a right winger previously. However, Gudorf’s willingness to run and solid defending seem to make her an even better full-back.
Gudorf constantly runs up and down the flank and is very hard to stop for opponents. But she also likes to invert and it may sometimes look like she’s a midfielder. Gudorf has a very good instinct for when she can help her team by leaving her original position.
This sequence leading to a Cologne goal illustrates this, as you can see Gudorf (No.12) coming into central midfield below:
One aspect to improve is her finishing, as Gudorf is yet to score a goal in the Frauen-Bundesliga. She also wants to work on not losing her self-confidence when things aren’t going her way.
In an interview, she cited Bayern winger Klara Bühl as one of her role models for that. If Gudorf adds these qualities to her game, she can be one of the very best.
She knows her worth, saying this summer: “I know that I have the potential to be in the national team.”
Now, she’s coming close to reaching this dream, and Martina Voss-Tecklenburg is said to be keeping an eye on Gudorf. It might not take too long until she earns her first senior call-up.
Elisa Senß — Midfielder, Bayer Leverkusen
Embed from Getty ImagesAnother one who is reportedly on the radar of the national team coach is Bayer Leverkusen’s midfielder Elisa Senß.
Senß joined the Frauen-Bundesliga club this summer and immediately became captain, an impressive achievement that shows her leadership qualities. She had previously spent two seasons at Essen, where she was one of the most consistent performers. Her performances didn’t go unnoticed.
In a press conference, Wolfsburg’s coach Tommy Stroot said that Essen would miss her a lot. He praised her qualities as a metronome of the game, dictating play from behind.
Embed from Getty ImagesSenß offers lots of stability for her teams, as she won 63.6% of her aerial duels so far. But she is also very involved going forward. Senß always looks to resolve a situation through dribbling, carrying the ball or finding a smart pass. She’s not the type of player who just hits a long ball, hoping it will find a forward.
This makes her very valuable in Bayer’s build-up play. Senß can count on a very good technique for that and has a remarkable dribbling success rate of 65%.
However, it’s the quality of her through balls that really makes her stand out. The 25-year-old is great at finding space and playing precise passes that often result in big chances.
Look at this assist against Hoffenheim, for example. Senß (No.6), plays the line-breaking pass at the exact right moment and creates a big chance out of a difficult situation:
Géraldine Reuteler — Forward, Eintracht Frankfurt
Embed from Getty ImagesThose who watched Switzerland’s games at Euro 2022 won’t be surprised to see Reuteler on this list. Even though the Swiss went out after the group stage, the 23-year-old showed what she’s capable of.
These performances were even more remarkable as Reuteler had come back from an ACL injury just a couple of months before. She’s currently showing that her Euros performances were not just good form and that her ceiling is even higher.
It feels like Reuteler is the piece Frankfurt were missing at times last season. She’s an intelligent player able to find space for her colleagues by passing and drawing defenders to her. Fifteen key passes already are a testament to that ability.
Embed from Getty ImagesReuteler has an excellent link-up-play with Laura Freigang, who has netted five goals in the last three games.
She is the Frauen-Bundesliga player who had the most goal-creating actions so far (7) and created six chances per 90 minutes, on average. Her intelligent and quick passing is the decisive factor for that.
Reuteler has a remarkably good pass completion for a forward, with 78% finding a fellow Frankfurt player. She is also able to create chances by dribbling or drawing fouls, which makes her quite unpredictable. Even though her finishing could still get better, Reuteler is already a complete package and an exciting player to watch.
Lisa Kolb — Winger, SC Freiburg
Embed from Getty ImagesKolb has hit the ground running and is one of the reasons for Freiburg’s attacking prowess so far. The young team has scored more goals from open play than any other Frauen-Bundesliga side. Under new coach Theresa Merk, Freiburg have a direct and entertaining style of play. The team likes to attack on the wing and with her pace and technique, Kolb is a key player.
The 21-year-old arrived in Freiburg last summer, but she seems to be having her breakthrough season now. Her two goals and three assists so far show that she is a vital part of Freiburg’s attack. Most of the team’s build-up play runs through her side, mainly due to her ability to find space and bring herself in good positions.
Combined with her quick decision-making, this makes Kolb a very good player on the counter-attack. In front of goal, the Austrian national team player has been efficient and didn’t need many chances to score. If Kolb can work on her passing accuracy too, she will be hard to stop.
