Islacker: On Sunday, on the way back from our DFB-Cup game in Munich we found out that the flight we were supposed to be catching had been cancelled because of the strikes. But fortunately, our colleagues had already booked us places with another airline - although it did mean we got split up onto two separate planes. So the journey did take a little longer, but it didn’t turn out to be much of a problem. Last year, we had to travel to Kazakhstan in the first round - which makes a journey to Oslo seem a lot shorter.
DFB.de: Is the Champions League currently a good platform for shaking off the upsets from the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga and the DFB-Cup?
Islacker: I think you have to look at each competition individually. It’s not like we’re playing in the Champions League to distract ourselves from domestic competitions - we want to do well in it.
DFB.de: What have you learnt from the two defeats against Bayern München?
Islacker: We really need to start being more dangerous in front of goal again, we all know that. But sometimes it does just come down to minor things. Bayern didn’t have that many more chances than us in either game. But they’re just on a roll at the moment, and when you’re on a run like they are the ball often finds its way into the net from unlikely angles, just like it did on Sunday. We need to start making our own luck again.
DFB.de: On Sunday you play Freiburg in the Bundesliga. Is it an advantage to have so many games in quick succession?
Islacker: You can look at it either way. Another few days of rest and recuperation certainly wouldn’t be bad. We know we’ll have to give everything again in order to win in Freiburg - just like we need to in every game. There are no easy three points to be won anymore. Those days are over.
DFB.de: What do you make of the current table standings in the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga?
Reigning champions 1. FFC Frankfurt will face Norwegian champions LSK Kvinner tonight at 18:00 CET in the last 16 of the Champions League. Due to the Lufthansa strike, the journey to Norway was a tricky one, and the task awaiting them on the pitch will not be much easier. "Women’s football has huge traditions in Norway, and to win the Norwegian league, you have to have a lot of quality," said new women’s international player Mandy Islacker ahead of the Champions League clash in an interview with DFB.de. "We know they will be a tough nut to crack."
DFB.de: Ms. Islacker, you’re coming up against LSK Kvinner in the last 16 of the Champions League. What do you know about the opposition?
Mandy Islacker: Not a great deal really. The manager will tell us everything we need to know before the game. It doesn’t really make sense to spend so much time thinking about them long before the game. I do know that Isabell Bachor plays there though. She was a teammate of mine for a season at Bayern München.
DFB.de: As a rule, are Norwegian teams dangerous?
Islacker: Women’s football has huge traditions in Norway, and to win the Norwegian league, you have to have a lot of quality, so we know they’ll be a tough nut to crack.
DFB.de: Last season, you won this competition with 1. FFC Frankfurt. Do you feel under a lot more pressure as defending champions?
Islacker: No, I don’t see it like that. No one can take the Champions League title from last season away from us. None of our shortcomings this season will change the fact that we won it last season. It’s a new competition, in which we want to get as far as possible again. But other clubs want that as well, so you can’t show any weaknesses.
DFB.de: You’ve been in Norway since Monday. Due to the Lufthansa strikes the journey was more complicated than usual. Do tell us a little more about that.
Islacker: On Sunday, on the way back from our DFB-Cup game in Munich we found out that the flight we were supposed to be catching had been cancelled because of the strikes. But fortunately, our colleagues had already booked us places with another airline - although it did mean we got split up onto two separate planes. So the journey did take a little longer, but it didn’t turn out to be much of a problem. Last year, we had to travel to Kazakhstan in the first round - which makes a journey to Oslo seem a lot shorter.
DFB.de: Is the Champions League currently a good platform for shaking off the upsets from the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga and the DFB-Cup?
Islacker: I think you have to look at each competition individually. It’s not like we’re playing in the Champions League to distract ourselves from domestic competitions - we want to do well in it.
DFB.de: What have you learnt from the two defeats against Bayern München?
Islacker: We really need to start being more dangerous in front of goal again, we all know that. But sometimes it does just come down to minor things. Bayern didn’t have that many more chances than us in either game. But they’re just on a roll at the moment, and when you’re on a run like they are the ball often finds its way into the net from unlikely angles, just like it did on Sunday. We need to start making our own luck again.
DFB.de: On Sunday you play Freiburg in the Bundesliga. Is it an advantage to have so many games in quick succession?
Islacker: You can look at it either way. Another few days of rest and recuperation certainly wouldn’t be bad. We know we’ll have to give everything again in order to win in Freiburg - just like we need to in every game. There are no easy three points to be won anymore. Those days are over.
DFB.de: What do you make of the current table standings in the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga?
Islacker: It’s as exciting as it’s ever been actually, and that’s the case down the whole table. Bayern might be six points ahead at the moment, but at this stage of a season that’s not an impossible gap to close by any means. Obviously we have to take home a lot of points from now until the winter break if we want to remain in and around the top. Then we can really go for the title in the second half of the season.
DFB.de: How would you explain all the surprises in the season so far?
Islacker: The so called lesser teams keep improving, especially in their defensive stability. We learnt that in Bremen, just like Wolfsburg learnt against Sand - and the list of examples goes on. The oppositions are setting up tighter with every game and it’s becoming more and more difficult to create goal opportunities. And when you fail to take the few chances you do get, it’s no surprise that results like this come about.
DFB.de: You became a Germany international a few weeks ago. Is that a dream come true for you?
Islacker: I was extremely happy to get the call-up, no doubt about it. It’s just an amazing feeling to play for a nation. In all honesty I never spent much time thinking about it before it actually happened, I just focused on performing at my club. Now that it’s happened - makes it even better.
DFB.de: How did you experience the two internationals against Russia and Turkey?
Islacker: First of all, it was an honour to be picked in the starting XI for both games. That’s a bonus for a newcomer. To have scored a goal on top of that in each game was obviously the icing on the cake. The most important thing was that we won both games and took a huge step towards qualifying for the European Championship.
DFB.de: How did you feel when you scored the goals?
Islacker: At first I couldn’t believe that I’d scored after just two minutes in Wiesbaden. It’s an indescribable feeling. But then you start to concentrate on the game again - that's the only way.
