A few things have changed for Jessica Wich. Not only the club who she plays for, not only the shirt that she wears and not only the city where she lives. Her importance has changed. In both her years at 1. FFC Frankfurt, she was one of many, but now she’s the biggest hope for Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
On Sunday (from 14:00 CET on DFB-TV), she will be meeting with old friends. It’s the quarter-final qualifying match. “It’s the sort of competition where anything is possible. That’s why it’s so exciting,” said Wich. “We’re also dreaming of surprising everyone and qualifying. That definitely hasn’t been ruled out yet.”
“Everything is possible”
Things have to go a bit better than they did two weeks ago in the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga, when the Luverkusen team lost 3-0 against Frankfurt. “We know what we did wrong and want to rectify this,” said Wich. “It’s starting at 0-0 on Sunday, so anything is possible.”
The 22-year-old didn’t hide her anticipation for the special match, “I’m looking forward to meeting with the players. Even when things weren’t perfect, I think back at that time in a positive light. It was an unforgettable experience.”
Obliers: “She’s improving week by week”
In her first year at 1. FFC, the attacking player didn’t get to make that many appearances due to the competition in the squad. In spite of this, she doesn’t look back at the time in anger, “I regularly trained with the best players in Germany. I can’t deny that experience. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to make enough appearances for the team.”
It’s been a tough start for her at Leverkusen. “It was noticeable that she didn’t play for a year,” said Bayer’s manager Thomas Obliers. “You can’t teach someone what match-time teaches you, but she’s headed in a good direction. She’s improving week by week. You can also see why we wanted her in our team.”
Jessica Wich also has an impressive CV, particularly during her time at 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam from 2007 to 2011. She scored 27 goals in 64 matches. She won the Champions League, the German Cup and the U20 World Cup in 2010. She played for Hamburger SV for one year after this, then went to Frankfurt before joining Leverkusen.
“Ready for the new challenge”
“I’m happy and excited to be here. I feel great and have had a fantastic reception,” said Wich. She’s one of the experienced players at Leverkusen, perhaps the most experienced. She likes this role in the team, “That was also a reason for my transfer. I’m ready for this new challenge.”
Wich doesn’t have any doubts that Bayer 04 was the right move for her career. Even when they were in ninth place at the start of the Bundesliga with one victory, three draws and four defeats, “It’s not the best start, but we’re headed in a good direction. Our aim is to end in the top six.”
Even that isn’t enough. Wich’s other dream is to make it into the DFB Cup Final in Cologne on 1st May 2015. Her team are only three steps away from making this dream a reality, with the first hurdle on Sunday.
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A few things have changed for Jessica Wich. Not only the club who she plays for, not only the shirt that she wears and not only the city where she lives. Her importance has changed. In both her years at 1. FFC Frankfurt, she was one of many, but now she’s the biggest hope for Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
On Sunday (from 14:00 CET on DFB-TV), she will be meeting with old friends. It’s the quarter-final qualifying match. “It’s the sort of competition where anything is possible. That’s why it’s so exciting,” said Wich. “We’re also dreaming of surprising everyone and qualifying. That definitely hasn’t been ruled out yet.”
“Everything is possible”
Things have to go a bit better than they did two weeks ago in the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga, when the Luverkusen team lost 3-0 against Frankfurt. “We know what we did wrong and want to rectify this,” said Wich. “It’s starting at 0-0 on Sunday, so anything is possible.”
The 22-year-old didn’t hide her anticipation for the special match, “I’m looking forward to meeting with the players. Even when things weren’t perfect, I think back at that time in a positive light. It was an unforgettable experience.”
Obliers: “She’s improving week by week”
In her first year at 1. FFC, the attacking player didn’t get to make that many appearances due to the competition in the squad. In spite of this, she doesn’t look back at the time in anger, “I regularly trained with the best players in Germany. I can’t deny that experience. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to make enough appearances for the team.”
It’s been a tough start for her at Leverkusen. “It was noticeable that she didn’t play for a year,” said Bayer’s manager Thomas Obliers. “You can’t teach someone what match-time teaches you, but she’s headed in a good direction. She’s improving week by week. You can also see why we wanted her in our team.”
Jessica Wich also has an impressive CV, particularly during her time at 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam from 2007 to 2011. She scored 27 goals in 64 matches. She won the Champions League, the German Cup and the U20 World Cup in 2010. She played for Hamburger SV for one year after this, then went to Frankfurt before joining Leverkusen.
“Ready for the new challenge”
“I’m happy and excited to be here. I feel great and have had a fantastic reception,” said Wich. She’s one of the experienced players at Leverkusen, perhaps the most experienced. She likes this role in the team, “That was also a reason for my transfer. I’m ready for this new challenge.”
Wich doesn’t have any doubts that Bayer 04 was the right move for her career. Even when they were in ninth place at the start of the Bundesliga with one victory, three draws and four defeats, “It’s not the best start, but we’re headed in a good direction. Our aim is to end in the top six.”
Even that isn’t enough. Wich’s other dream is to make it into the DFB Cup Final in Cologne on 1st May 2015. Her team are only three steps away from making this dream a reality, with the first hurdle on Sunday.
