Silvia Neid: "To Sweden - and no detours, please"

For Silvia Neid and the German women's national team, 2012 begins with a trip away to Turkey, where they are scheduled to meet the hosts in Izmir for a EURO 2013 qualifying match on Wednesday, 15 February 2012 (kick-off 4pm, broadcast live on German free-TV channel ARD), the other group members being Spain, Switzerland, Romania, and Kazakhstan.

Head coach Neid leaves no doubt that she expects her players to bag three points. "Condemned" to watching the game from the stands not the coaching zone (Neid has to sit out a one-match ban imposed by UEFA in the wake of the Spain vs Germany match) the 47-year-old coach talks to DFB.de women's football expert Niels Barnhofer about her objectives for 2012 and beyond.

DFB.de: Silvia, in addition to the upcoming match against Turkey, what is on your 2012 agenda?

Silvia Neid: First and foremost, we want to qualify for the 2013 UEFA European Women's Championship in Sweden, and I dearly hope we won't need any play-offs to get there. Secondly, we want to mature as a team, with several younger players coming through and new ones to be integrated. And finally, I greatly look forward to the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in Japan, as we're always on the look-out for fresh talent making the grade to the senior squad.

DFB.de: What are your expectations of the match in Turkey?

Neid: Well, with temperatures in Germany below freezing point, I wouldn't object to some warmer weather (laughs). And I'd love for the match to be played on a good, regulation-size pitch allowing us to use the available space to the extent possible. Turkey are likely to defend and sit deep; I've seen both of their games against Romania: in the first leg they got hammered 1-7, but by the time of the second-leg match they had worked on that, still losing 1-2 but a more composed side nevertheless. I expect them to try to stay compact and keep us away from the final third.

DFB.de: How are you going to respond, tactically speaking?

Neid: We need to play with width and depth to create space, combine well, move into space, create chances and finish them. We're going there to win, there's no question about that.

DFB.de: Are you comfortable with the match date?

Neid: Absolutely, I think my players come well prepared as they've been in club training for several weeks now. We're a bit short on match practice, but have had some very productive training sessions since Friday. The good thing is, now that the winter break is over, all of the players are just dying to get back to playing real football, and in an official match at that. I know I mustn't expect any miracles, but on the other hand, things shouldn't look too scrappy, either.

DFB.de: What aspects will you be working on this year?

Neid: It has to be our ambition for Germany to be up there among the Top Five, world-wide. And we must improve our combination play, make it more precise, find a better mix of short passes and long balls. Defensively, last year was good, so we'll try to keep this level up. Overall, the objective must be for us to develop further, both individually and as a team, by adding to our tactical repertory. For example, after losing possession, the old rule was to get as many players behind the ball as possible, now the focus will be on attacking the opponent early, trying to win the ball back as quickly as possible.

DFB.de: How important do you think are players who can be "leaders", especially as some of the established guard retired after last year's World Cup?

Neid: You can't impose team hierarchy from above, it's something that grows and is a function of performance. Now that Birgit Prinz, Ariane Hingst, and Kerstin Garefrekes have hung up their boots, it is rewarding to see that young players like Celia Okoyino da Mbabi and Melanie Behringer are stepping up. Nadine Angerer makes sure her voice is heard, and the same is true for Saskia Bartusiak and Babett Peter, both of whom are rising to the occasion. But yes, there has to be a certain pecking order in a team, it's only natural.

DFB.de: Let's look further ahead – what are your plans for the Algarve Cup?

Neid: The beauty of the Algarve Cup is that we can try out new things and, at the same time, prepare for the EURO 2013 qualifiers against Spain and Switzerland. Also, the tournament in Portugal is just wonderful in that you get to play against meaningful opposition, which enables you to take stock of where you stand. Just look at Iceland, they went through to the final last year. Generally speaking, it's always good to be together for longer periods.

DFB.de: Any aspirations to win the tournament?

Neid: I'd be lying if I said "no". But the Algarve Cup is not necessarily about results. Needless to say, it'd be nice to get as far as possible.

DFB.de: Will you be following the Olympics later this year?

Neid: I am definitely going to watch the final and match for third place, maybe even the two semi-finals, but that depends on my other commitments.

DFB.de: And the U20 World Cup in Japan?

Neid: Yes, I'll be there, but this will require some more detailed planning, maybe from the quarter-finals on.

DFB.de: A former colleague of yours, Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, has been assigned the job of Switzerland head coach…

Neid: Yes, and I'm very glad for her! Being national head coach is a great mission and a fantastic professional challenge that I am sure she'll master, continuing the excellent work done by her predecessor, Beatrice von Siebenthal.

DFB.de: How do you feel about playing against opponents coached by a fellow German?

Neid: If you know that someone really well, I admit it's something special, just like it was with Carolina Morace, whom I've known for donkey's years now. It's just that whatever team she was coaching – Italy or Canada – there was no way I was going to lose that match! (laughs). But having said that, I'm sure anybody will feel that way.