The countdown is almost over. Germany’s women’s team arrived at their base camp in the “De Ruwenberg” hotel in the Netherlands’ Sint-Michielsgestel, south of Hertogenbosch, on Wednesday. The fine tuning is all that’s left to do prior to their first game of the European Championship against Sweden in Breda on Monday (20:45 CEST).
“I’ve got the tingles,” said Jones upon arriving at the hotel, whilst Sara Doorsoun was keen to “come in relaxed and then get going.” Sara Däbritz and Linda Dallmann were at the podium for the first press conference to take questions from the media.
SARA DÄBRITZ ON...
... THE PROS AND CONS OF OPENING AGAINST A TOUGH OPPONENT: It makes no difference who we play. Everybody is motivated. Playing in the European Championship is a dream which all of us can now fulfil. I think that the big game against Sweden is great for us, because you know that it’ll be a challenge from the start.
... OPPONENTS SWEDEN: All I can say to Sweden’s manager is that it’ll be tough a game against us. We’ve done well in games against Sweden so far, and mostly won against them in tournaments, therefore we’re really looking forward to the opening game and we’ll give our all. Overall, the Swedes stay very compact defensively and are able to hit teams on the counter – something we’ll have to watch out for. However, we have to play how we play and take our chances.
... THE VERSATILITY IN MIDFIELD: We’re very versatile in midfield because the 4-4-2 diamond system is set up to allow for a lot of flexibility. We’re totally flexible, we can rotate between ourselves, and understand each other very well. Each of us has the freedom to go forward, and that’s important when it comes to attacking.
... HER EXPERIENCE IN MAJOR TOURNAMENTS: I’ve been able to accrue a lot of experience in major tournaments, and for that reason I’ve developed both as a player and as a person. That’s exactly what I’ll be looking to show out there on the pitch.
... THE TEAM HOTEL AND ITS SURROUNDINGS: We’re very comfortable here and have received a wonderful warm welcome. The hotel and its surroundings are great. In addition, there’s a great players’ lounge where the whole team can have fun.
... THE RECORD PRIZES FOR THE EURO: (37,500 Euros for finishing first, 20,000 Euros for finishing second, 10,000 Euros for a semi-final exit) I’m happy with the prize sums. They reflect the extent to which we’re valued by the DFB – something we’ve enjoyed. We know that we’ll only get something for making it to the EURO semi-final, we’re ambitious, and for that reason we have our sights set on progressing as far as possible in the tournament. We know how good we are.
LINDA DALLMANN ON...
... THEIR SWEDISH OPPONENTS: I’ve only played against Sweden at youth level, and they’ve always proved themselves to be a physically strong team. At senior level they have a lot of experienced players, and that means that it’ll be a tough game.
... HER FIRST EURO: It’s my first major tournament and it’ll be different to friendlies. I don’t know if I can perform at the same level in a tournament as I do in friendlies, but it’s just about the pressure. So far all I feel is joy. You don’t have to put yourself under any pressure in this team, because everyone makes it easy on each other.
... CAPTAIN DZSENIFER MAROZSAN: I’m definitely the biggest Marozsan fan here in the team. She’s made a huge leap in the last year, and she leads by example with her strong performances on the pitch. We’re pleased to have her as a teammate. She does her job perfectly.
... THE TEAM HOTEL AND THE SERVICE: I’m always overwhelmed at the conditions we’re able to enjoy. It’s a huge luxury and something we can be very happy about.
The countdown is almost over. Germany’s women’s team arrived at their base camp in the “De Ruwenberg” hotel in the Netherlands’ Sint-Michielsgestel, south of Hertogenbosch, on Wednesday. The fine tuning is all that’s left to do prior to their first game of the European Championship against Sweden in Breda on Monday (20:45 CEST).
“I’ve got the tingles,” said Jones upon arriving at the hotel, whilst Sara Doorsoun was keen to “come in relaxed and then get going.” Sara Däbritz and Linda Dallmann were at the podium for the first press conference to take questions from the media.
SARA DÄBRITZ ON...
... THE PROS AND CONS OF OPENING AGAINST A TOUGH OPPONENT: It makes no difference who we play. Everybody is motivated. Playing in the European Championship is a dream which all of us can now fulfil. I think that the big game against Sweden is great for us, because you know that it’ll be a challenge from the start.
... OPPONENTS SWEDEN: All I can say to Sweden’s manager is that it’ll be tough a game against us. We’ve done well in games against Sweden so far, and mostly won against them in tournaments, therefore we’re really looking forward to the opening game and we’ll give our all. Overall, the Swedes stay very compact defensively and are able to hit teams on the counter – something we’ll have to watch out for. However, we have to play how we play and take our chances.
... THE VERSATILITY IN MIDFIELD: We’re very versatile in midfield because the 4-4-2 diamond system is set up to allow for a lot of flexibility. We’re totally flexible, we can rotate between ourselves, and understand each other very well. Each of us has the freedom to go forward, and that’s important when it comes to attacking.
... HER EXPERIENCE IN MAJOR TOURNAMENTS: I’ve been able to accrue a lot of experience in major tournaments, and for that reason I’ve developed both as a player and as a person. That’s exactly what I’ll be looking to show out there on the pitch.
... THE TEAM HOTEL AND ITS SURROUNDINGS: We’re very comfortable here and have received a wonderful warm welcome. The hotel and its surroundings are great. In addition, there’s a great players’ lounge where the whole team can have fun.
... THE RECORD PRIZES FOR THE EURO: (37,500 Euros for finishing first, 20,000 Euros for finishing second, 10,000 Euros for a semi-final exit) I’m happy with the prize sums. They reflect the extent to which we’re valued by the DFB – something we’ve enjoyed. We know that we’ll only get something for making it to the EURO semi-final, we’re ambitious, and for that reason we have our sights set on progressing as far as possible in the tournament. We know how good we are.
###more###
LINDA DALLMANN ON...
... THEIR SWEDISH OPPONENTS: I’ve only played against Sweden at youth level, and they’ve always proved themselves to be a physically strong team. At senior level they have a lot of experienced players, and that means that it’ll be a tough game.
... HER FIRST EURO: It’s my first major tournament and it’ll be different to friendlies. I don’t know if I can perform at the same level in a tournament as I do in friendlies, but it’s just about the pressure. So far all I feel is joy. You don’t have to put yourself under any pressure in this team, because everyone makes it easy on each other.
... CAPTAIN DZSENIFER MAROZSAN: I’m definitely the biggest Marozsan fan here in the team. She’s made a huge leap in the last year, and she leads by example with her strong performances on the pitch. We’re pleased to have her as a teammate. She does her job perfectly.
... THE TEAM HOTEL AND THE SERVICE: I’m always overwhelmed at the conditions we’re able to enjoy. It’s a huge luxury and something we can be very happy about.
###more###
