Felix Neureuther analyzes the DSV team around Baumann and Sander

En one week before the legendary Hahnenkamm races in Kitzbühel and three weeks before the Alpine World Ski Championships in France, the German speed men are still lagging behind the leaders. Also the former ski star Felix Neureuther puzzles over the weak results of the team around the two World Cup runners-up in 2021, Romed Baumann and Andreas Sander. “It’s individual for everyone,” Neureuther told ARD after the Germans had clearly missed the top ten in the Super-G and downhill in Wengen at the weekend.

Odermatt and Kilde “in their own league”

Thomas Dresden, who made his comeback on the Lauberhorn after an injury break of several weeks and finished 23rd in the downhill on Saturday, excluded Neureuther from his analysis. “There are other things that count at the moment that he comes back. He will also make his way,” said the 38-year-old about the 2018 Kitzbühel winner.

“But apart from that, everyone puzzles a bit, also internally in the team,” reported Neureuther. “What’s missing? body language? Approach? Tactical things?” According to the 13-time World Cup winner, he is of the opinion that you also have to start with the material.

“The others have just outstripped us a bit at the moment when it comes to the set-up of materials,” said Neureuther, referring to the 38th place of the second in the World Championships sanders in the Wengen descent. “He doesn’t make any mistakes down there and is a really good skier, but he can’t build up this train like other athletes by a long shot. You have to ask yourself the question: Did we miss something in terms of material during the preparation?”

The leaders in the overall World Cup, Marco Odermatt from Switzerland and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde from Norway, who won both speed races in Wengen, are “in a league of their own at the moment,” said Neureuther. You have to accept it and keep working.