The second half of the season in the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga opens with a clash steeped in history. The encounter between 1. FFC Frankfurt and Turbine Potsdam has traditionally been one between two title contenders. However, both clubs find themselves in a different position this year and will be trying not to lose more ground on the top of the table this Sunday (11:00 CET).
Frankfurt midfielder Simone Laudehr spoke to DFB.de about the importance of the game. The Germany international, who has been capped on 82 occasions, also looked forward to the summer and the World Cup in Canada.
DFB.de: Ms. Laudehr, the second half of the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga gets underway with a classic. Is the main aim for Frankfurt not to lose more points and fall behind in the title race?
Simone Laudehr: I prefer to be an optimist. We’ve got the opportunity to recover some lost ground if we win against Potsdam and maintain a chance of winning the Championship.
DFB.de: What do you think of the opposition?
Laudehr: They keep the ball on the floor, are aggressive and tough. That's way Potsdam have always been known to play.
DFB.de: Is playing Potsdam still a special occasion?
Laudehr: Yes, definitely. The clubs have dominated German women’s football for a long time. Although there’s more competition now, this is still a clash steeped in history and it has a particular feel to it.
DFB.de: So it’s indeed the case that there are more title contenders these days?
Laudehr: Definitely. I think the quality in the league has improved and there haven’t been any easy fixtures for a couple of years now. You need to give 100 per cent every weekend. There are four great teams up front and they’re all equally strong. It’s closer than ever before, but that’s a good development for the league and for the fans.
DFB.de: What do you make of the situation at the top of the table?
Laudehr: Wolfsburg seem to be in a comfortable position seven points ahead. However, we’ve all still got to play each other and certainly some of our opponents will lose points then. We just have to try and win all our games. It'll be difficult, but not impossible.
DFB.de: What happened before the winter break? Do you have any explanation as to why you slipped into fourth place?
Laudehr: It’s actually quite difficult to explain. We lost three huge games because we weren’t aggressive enough. However, we only lost points against the top teams but won all our other fixtures and we shouldn’t take that for granted.
DFB.de: How did you deal with the setbacks during the winter break?
Laudehr: Our last game before the break was a 3-1 DFB Cup win against Bayern München, so we went into it on the back of a success. That’s why we haven't tried to constantly deal with the setbacks over the last few weeks. On the contrary, during the Bayern game we were able to show our qualities and that’s something to build on for the upcoming challenges.
DFB.de: What aspects do you need to improve on for the remaining nine matches?
Laudehr: We need to be aggressive, just the way we were in the Cup fixture against Bayern. Then we’ll be able to beat anyone.
DFB.de: Are you still eyeing the German Championship?
Laudehr: Definitely! As an athlete you’re never going to give up if there’s still a glimmer of hope. We’ll know for sure when we hear the final whistle on matchday 22. Until then we’ll give our all.
DFB.de: Does life sometimes seem unfair? You’ve won every other possible title, but you're still missing the German Championship.
Laudehr: Undoubtedly. There are worse misfortunes in life, so perhaps that isn’t the right wording. You can’t exactly plan sport. I’d certainly love to win the Championship at some point though.
DFB.de: What do you think of this season overall? You’ve reached the semi-finals of the DFB Cup and Champions League quarter-finals.
Laudehr: It shows that we’ve had a good first half of the season and we’ve still got the chance to achieve our goals. We’re on the right track.
DFB.de: Looking forward to this summer, there’s the World Cup in Canada. Is the tournament already on your mind?
Laudehr: It has been for a while. It’s my third World Cup and I’m really looking forward to Canada. The most important thing is that we all stay fit.
DFB.de: What can Germany achieve in Canada?
Laudehr: The Germany national team are top of the FIFA World Rankings and we have always been one of the best teams in the world. I’m really proud to be part of this team and we'll give our all to overcome the strong opposition and clinch the title in Canada.
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The second half of the season in the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga opens with a clash steeped in history. The encounter between 1. FFC Frankfurt and Turbine Potsdam has traditionally been one between two title contenders. However, both clubs find themselves in a different position this year and will be trying not to lose more ground on the top of the table this Sunday (11:00 CET).
Frankfurt midfielder Simone Laudehr spoke to DFB.de about the importance of the game. The Germany international, who has been capped on 82 occasions, also looked forward to the summer and the World Cup in Canada.
DFB.de: Ms. Laudehr, the second half of the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga gets underway with a classic. Is the main aim for Frankfurt not to lose more points and fall behind in the title race?
Simone Laudehr: I prefer to be an optimist. We’ve got the opportunity to recover some lost ground if we win against Potsdam and maintain a chance of winning the Championship.
DFB.de: What do you think of the opposition?
Laudehr: They keep the ball on the floor, are aggressive and tough. That's way Potsdam have always been known to play.
DFB.de: Is playing Potsdam still a special occasion?
Laudehr: Yes, definitely. The clubs have dominated German women’s football for a long time. Although there’s more competition now, this is still a clash steeped in history and it has a particular feel to it.
DFB.de: So it’s indeed the case that there are more title contenders these days?
Laudehr: Definitely. I think the quality in the league has improved and there haven’t been any easy fixtures for a couple of years now. You need to give 100 per cent every weekend. There are four great teams up front and they’re all equally strong. It’s closer than ever before, but that’s a good development for the league and for the fans.
DFB.de: What do you make of the situation at the top of the table?
Laudehr: Wolfsburg seem to be in a comfortable position seven points ahead. However, we’ve all still got to play each other and certainly some of our opponents will lose points then. We just have to try and win all our games. It'll be difficult, but not impossible.
DFB.de: What happened before the winter break? Do you have any explanation as to why you slipped into fourth place?
Laudehr: It’s actually quite difficult to explain. We lost three huge games because we weren’t aggressive enough. However, we only lost points against the top teams but won all our other fixtures and we shouldn’t take that for granted.
DFB.de: How did you deal with the setbacks during the winter break?
Laudehr: Our last game before the break was a 3-1 DFB Cup win against Bayern München, so we went into it on the back of a success. That’s why we haven't tried to constantly deal with the setbacks over the last few weeks. On the contrary, during the Bayern game we were able to show our qualities and that’s something to build on for the upcoming challenges.
DFB.de: What aspects do you need to improve on for the remaining nine matches?
Laudehr: We need to be aggressive, just the way we were in the Cup fixture against Bayern. Then we’ll be able to beat anyone.
DFB.de: Are you still eyeing the German Championship?
Laudehr: Definitely! As an athlete you’re never going to give up if there’s still a glimmer of hope. We’ll know for sure when we hear the final whistle on matchday 22. Until then we’ll give our all.
DFB.de: Does life sometimes seem unfair? You’ve won every other possible title, but you're still missing the German Championship.
Laudehr: Undoubtedly. There are worse misfortunes in life, so perhaps that isn’t the right wording. You can’t exactly plan sport. I’d certainly love to win the Championship at some point though.
DFB.de: What do you think of this season overall? You’ve reached the semi-finals of the DFB Cup and Champions League quarter-finals.
Laudehr: It shows that we’ve had a good first half of the season and we’ve still got the chance to achieve our goals. We’re on the right track.
DFB.de: Looking forward to this summer, there’s the World Cup in Canada. Is the tournament already on your mind?
Laudehr: It has been for a while. It’s my third World Cup and I’m really looking forward to Canada. The most important thing is that we all stay fit.
DFB.de: What can Germany achieve in Canada?
Laudehr: The Germany national team are top of the FIFA World Rankings and we have always been one of the best teams in the world. I’m really proud to be part of this team and we'll give our all to overcome the strong opposition and clinch the title in Canada.
