The FIFA Women’s World Cup is set to get underway on Thursday, with captain Alexandra Popp and Sophia Kleinherne speaking to the press about the mood within the team and settling into life in Australia.
Alexandra Popp on...
...the mood within the team: We’re very happy to finally be getting underway. The first few days here felt very long. We’re glad to be able to watch some of the other games first as a team and to soak up some of the atmosphere before getting our own World Cup campaign underway. The mood within the team is high and we’re all extremely focused. Having a day off recently really helped us settle in even more.
...the choice of armband: We will wear one armband during the tournament, with a call-to-action to end violence against women. Domestic violence against women is a huge issue, which we want to raise awareness for by wearing this armband. Due to the fact that the DFB has a cooperation with UN Women, we knew that we wanted to highlight this issue. It’s an important topic that doesn’t receive the attention it deserves. Diversity is something that we have highlighted several times in the past and that we will continue to address, obviously.
...the increase in visibility compared to previous World Cups: We want the visibility that we have earned ourselves. Of course in some aspects it’s still something new, but it’s also a question of how you deal with it personally. We feel very supported and it’s not an issue for me if my name is now all of a sudden in every article. It doesn’t change anything about my position in the team. I just want to play football and help the team. This new level of visibility isn’t a burden in that regard.
...how close the world rankings are and Germany’s group at the World Cup: If you look at the results from all the pre-tournament friendlies, there weren’t any big wins, and there were a few upsets instead. Our group definitely won’t be easy. There’s been a lot said about how we have the easiest group – I don’t think that’s true at all. We need to get off to a strong start in the tournament in order to have the right momentum for our next games. There’s plenty of big match-ups waiting if we make it through the groups. We should have a certain level of confidence after our first match.
…expectations for the tournament: Obviously it is not just about us creating a good atmosphere; the main focus is what happens on the pitch. On the pitch, everything is working well, the quality is high, we are moving the ball well. There are emotions there. We know the quality that we have and it will be crucial to show this on the pitch. The World Cup is now a completely different question to the EUROs. Every tournament is a completely different story, and we want to write our own story here. We have been getting better and better over the last few days. We still need a few days, but I am sure that we will be fully ready when the tournament starts.
…the biggest problems recently: We have had problems scoring goals (laughs). We have had good phases of play in the last few games but just missed a bit of decisiveness in the final third. We are working on it.
…her fitness and that of Lena Oberdorf: I still have some strapping, but that’s just a precautionary measure. I’m pain-free most of the time. Sometimes I still feel it a little bit, but only in an area that you really don’t have to be worried about. Obi is on the right path; she’s already worked with the ball a bit and hasn’t had any problems. I can’t tell you whether that will be enough for the first game, but we are obviously hoping it will, because everyone knows what an important player she is.
…possible retirement plans: It is not a decision that I could make today or tomorrow because, as it is, I’m still not ready for that yet. It will be a gut-feeling, but I really don’t have any desire to speak about a possible end of my career ahead of a World Cup that has still not even started yet.
Sophia Kleinherne on...
...the day off whale watching: This day off was very valuable for all of us, both mentally and physically. We all came back to the hotel with enormous grins on our faces, which means that we managed to do what we had to do with that day. It was a once in a lifetime experience for us to be able to experience that. We were all reenergised by it.
…not much playing time in the last few friendlies: We are all aware of our roles. Everyone knows their position. This already made us very strong ahead of the EUROs. Obviously, Svenja Huth is playing at right-back at the moment, which she can also do. I am completely fine to be her back-up at the moment. In a tournament like this, it is unbelievably important that every player works well, regardless of what role they have. I’m also completely behind the team. I think that the coaching team will make the right decisions for the first few games. Maybe we will need this calibre of player in the latter stages of the tournament in order to fully reach our peak potential. This is also only possible as a team. We have extremely high quality, on the bench as well.
created by mmc/asv
###more###
The FIFA Women’s World Cup is set to get underway on Thursday, with captain Alexandra Popp and Sophia Kleinherne speaking to the press about the mood within the team and settling into life in Australia.
Alexandra Popp on...
...the mood within the team: We’re very happy to finally be getting underway. The first few days here felt very long. We’re glad to be able to watch some of the other games first as a team and to soak up some of the atmosphere before getting our own World Cup campaign underway. The mood within the team is high and we’re all extremely focused. Having a day off recently really helped us settle in even more.
...the choice of armband: We will wear one armband during the tournament, with a call-to-action to end violence against women. Domestic violence against women is a huge issue, which we want to raise awareness for by wearing this armband. Due to the fact that the DFB has a cooperation with UN Women, we knew that we wanted to highlight this issue. It’s an important topic that doesn’t receive the attention it deserves. Diversity is something that we have highlighted several times in the past and that we will continue to address, obviously.
...the increase in visibility compared to previous World Cups: We want the visibility that we have earned ourselves. Of course in some aspects it’s still something new, but it’s also a question of how you deal with it personally. We feel very supported and it’s not an issue for me if my name is now all of a sudden in every article. It doesn’t change anything about my position in the team. I just want to play football and help the team. This new level of visibility isn’t a burden in that regard.
...how close the world rankings are and Germany’s group at the World Cup: If you look at the results from all the pre-tournament friendlies, there weren’t any big wins, and there were a few upsets instead. Our group definitely won’t be easy. There’s been a lot said about how we have the easiest group – I don’t think that’s true at all. We need to get off to a strong start in the tournament in order to have the right momentum for our next games. There’s plenty of big match-ups waiting if we make it through the groups. We should have a certain level of confidence after our first match.
…expectations for the tournament: Obviously it is not just about us creating a good atmosphere; the main focus is what happens on the pitch. On the pitch, everything is working well, the quality is high, we are moving the ball well. There are emotions there. We know the quality that we have and it will be crucial to show this on the pitch. The World Cup is now a completely different question to the EUROs. Every tournament is a completely different story, and we want to write our own story here. We have been getting better and better over the last few days. We still need a few days, but I am sure that we will be fully ready when the tournament starts.
…the biggest problems recently: We have had problems scoring goals (laughs). We have had good phases of play in the last few games but just missed a bit of decisiveness in the final third. We are working on it.
…her fitness and that of Lena Oberdorf: I still have some strapping, but that’s just a precautionary measure. I’m pain-free most of the time. Sometimes I still feel it a little bit, but only in an area that you really don’t have to be worried about. Obi is on the right path; she’s already worked with the ball a bit and hasn’t had any problems. I can’t tell you whether that will be enough for the first game, but we are obviously hoping it will, because everyone knows what an important player she is.
…possible retirement plans: It is not a decision that I could make today or tomorrow because, as it is, I’m still not ready for that yet. It will be a gut-feeling, but I really don’t have any desire to speak about a possible end of my career ahead of a World Cup that has still not even started yet.
Sophia Kleinherne on...
...the day off whale watching: This day off was very valuable for all of us, both mentally and physically. We all came back to the hotel with enormous grins on our faces, which means that we managed to do what we had to do with that day. It was a once in a lifetime experience for us to be able to experience that. We were all reenergised by it.
…not much playing time in the last few friendlies: We are all aware of our roles. Everyone knows their position. This already made us very strong ahead of the EUROs. Obviously, Svenja Huth is playing at right-back at the moment, which she can also do. I am completely fine to be her back-up at the moment. In a tournament like this, it is unbelievably important that every player works well, regardless of what role they have. I’m also completely behind the team. I think that the coaching team will make the right decisions for the first few games. Maybe we will need this calibre of player in the latter stages of the tournament in order to fully reach our peak potential. This is also only possible as a team. We have extremely high quality, on the bench as well.
