The Germany women’s team are travelling from Frankfurt to Moscow today where they will play Russia on Friday at 18:00 CEST. The Women’s team have been preparing for the European Championship qualifier in Frankfurt, their first match under new manager Steffi Jones. Olympic winner Svenja Huth spoke to DFB.de in an interview about the first few training sessions under the new head coach and the match in Moscow.
DFB.de: Svenja, how were the first few days of training after winning the Olympics?
Svenja Huth: We started off very well and the first few sessions with the new coaching staff were good. We all worked hard but we had fun and learnt something from the session. The facilities here in Frankfurt are very good especially when it was extremely hot during training.
DFB.de: How does the new squad look?
Huth: There are three new players in the squad who are here for the first time. However we all know each other already from playing in the Women’s Bundesliga so there aren’t really any new faces. I saw the others every day for a few weeks during the Olympic Games. We all look forward to seeing each other again. There is a really good mix of players in the team.
DFB.de: Today you are travelling to Moscow. What are you expecting from the match against Russia?
Huth: Firstly it will definitely be colder. In Moscow it’s currently only about ten to twelve degrees! (laughs) We have already done our research and know that the opponent will play defensively. We will have to look for the gaps and find space and go into the game fully focused. We have to create goalscoring chances and use them effectively.
DFB.de: The first game against Russia ended 2-0 and wasn’t easy. How would you describe the opposition?
The Germany women’s team are travelling from Frankfurt to Moscow today where they will play Russia on Friday at 18:00 CEST. The Women’s team have been preparing for the European Championship qualifier in Frankfurt, their first match under new manager Steffi Jones. Olympic winner Svenja Huth spoke to DFB.de in an interview about the first few training sessions under the new head coach and the match in Moscow.
DFB.de: Svenja, how were the first few days of training after winning the Olympics?
Svenja Huth: We started off very well and the first few sessions with the new coaching staff were good. We all worked hard but we had fun and learnt something from the session. The facilities here in Frankfurt are very good especially when it was extremely hot during training.
DFB.de: How does the new squad look?
Huth: There are three new players in the squad who are here for the first time. However we all know each other already from playing in the Women’s Bundesliga so there aren’t really any new faces. I saw the others every day for a few weeks during the Olympic Games. We all look forward to seeing each other again. There is a really good mix of players in the team.
DFB.de: Today you are travelling to Moscow. What are you expecting from the match against Russia?
Huth: Firstly it will definitely be colder. In Moscow it’s currently only about ten to twelve degrees! (laughs) We have already done our research and know that the opponent will play defensively. We will have to look for the gaps and find space and go into the game fully focused. We have to create goalscoring chances and use them effectively.
DFB.de: The first game against Russia ended 2-0 and wasn’t easy. How would you describe the opposition?
Huth: The players are very tenacious and aggressive in tackles, they fight for every centimetre. The Russian team are very robust and very compact defensively, this makes it hard for the attacking players.
DFB.de: Steffi Jones considers versatility to be very important…
Huth: We’ve spoken about that often. We players can be deployed in different positions so we can always adapt to our opposition and create space in the system we use.
DFB.de: What’s your goal for the two final European Championship qualifiers against Russia and Hungary on Tuesday?
Huth: Of course we want to win both games, even if the squad is looking a bit different as many players are missing who were at the Olympics. Our goal is clear – we want to take the points and will approach the games fully concentrated.
DFB.de: You already qualified for the European Championships in 2017 before the Olympics. What advantages does this give you?
Huth: We can use the two games to try some things out, they serve as preparation for the Euros in the Netherlands. Also, we have a new coach, we’ll see some new faces. These two matches are a good chance for us players to show our best and prove ourselves.
