Carolin Simon and Lina Magull will be playing in their first major tournament with the Germany Women’s team when the European Championship in the Netherlands begins. For that reason, both ladies can’t wait to get going against Sweden in Breda on Monday (20:45 CEST), and the two share their thoughts on the opener, their opponents, their pre-game rituals, and the pressure on them as defending champions, in a press conference at the team hotel near Hertogenbosch.
CAROLIN SIMON ON...
... THE PRESSURE AHEAD OF THE EURO OPENER: There’s pressure, yes, but it’s a positive thing. We’re all looking forward to fulfilling what’s expected of us or even exceeding expectations. We’re not fazed by the pressure. The whole team can’t wait to get going. We’ve worked got a lot of hard work behind us, are in top shape, and you can see from day to day how eager we are – and that’s nothing but positive.
... THE RECORD AGAINST SWEDEN: There’s a lot of talk about the matter, but I don’t think it has an effect. The fact that we’ve won our last games against Sweden means nothing. It’s all in the past, and has no effect bar perhaps giving us a bit of self-confidence.
... THE CHANCE TO START THE GAME: I doubt it, but I’ve given everything I’ve got in training, but I would be lying if I said that I wouldn’t love to be starting.
... HER EURO CALL-UP: It came as a surprise. I’m still a fringe player, and my first call-up was at the end of November in 2016. It was a great honour to be able to partake in the sessions with the team. I would never have thought that I would have the chance to play at such a major tournament. I was incredibly surprised.
... GERMANY’S STYLE OF PLAY: Every system has its pros and cons. We’ve worked on the negatives intensively over the last few weeks. We’re certain that we know how to implement our system effectively and with as few errors as possible.
... HER PRE-GAME RITUAL: The same as every other Bundesliga game. You get into your own rhythm. I don’t do anything special, but one thing I do is step onto the pitch with my left foot first. (laughs)
... HER RAPPORT WITH LINA MAGULL: We play well together. It’s fantastic to have the opportunity to play with her here.
LINA MAGULL ON...
... THE EXCITEMENT AHEAD OF THE OPENER: I have played in other tournaments at youth level, but this is something else. I can’t wait to finally get the tournament underway. The pressure pushes you to keep going. We’re the defending champions and our aim is to lift the title once more. Even though Caro and I are new, we believe in the whole team and us being able to be crowned champions once more. The first step to doing so comes on Monday. We’ll see where we are after the game.
... THE RECORD AGAINST SWEDEN: We’re not concerning ourselves with that. We’re just taking the game as it comes, and we want to show once more that we’re the better team.
... GERMANY’S STYLE OF PLAY: Our footballing philosophy is built on the fact that we want to attack and dominate possession. We also have a strong back-four.
... HER PRE-GAME RITUAL: It’s just the same as any other game. I like to lie in bed and focus on the game. I don’t look at my phone.
... THE FREE TIME BEFORE GAMES: We had this morning off, so Caro and I and a few other girls had a yoga session. After that, we had a Playstation session. The others went into town this morning and told us how nice it is, and that’s something we’re still yet to do. That’s how we use our free time.
... HER RAPPORT WITH CAROLIN SIMON: I’m really looking forward to taking to the pitch with her. We’re a good team at our club. We look out for each other on the pitch because we know it works and it’s fun.
Carolin Simon and Lina Magull will be playing in their first major tournament with the Germany Women’s team when the European Championship in the Netherlands begins. For that reason, both ladies can’t wait to get going against Sweden in Breda on Monday (20:45 CEST), and the two share their thoughts on the opener, their opponents, their pre-game rituals, and the pressure on them as defending champions, in a press conference at the team hotel near Hertogenbosch.
CAROLIN SIMON ON...
... THE PRESSURE AHEAD OF THE EURO OPENER: There’s pressure, yes, but it’s a positive thing. We’re all looking forward to fulfilling what’s expected of us or even exceeding expectations. We’re not fazed by the pressure. The whole team can’t wait to get going. We’ve worked got a lot of hard work behind us, are in top shape, and you can see from day to day how eager we are – and that’s nothing but positive.
... THE RECORD AGAINST SWEDEN: There’s a lot of talk about the matter, but I don’t think it has an effect. The fact that we’ve won our last games against Sweden means nothing. It’s all in the past, and has no effect bar perhaps giving us a bit of self-confidence.
... THE CHANCE TO START THE GAME: I doubt it, but I’ve given everything I’ve got in training, but I would be lying if I said that I wouldn’t love to be starting.
... HER EURO CALL-UP: It came as a surprise. I’m still a fringe player, and my first call-up was at the end of November in 2016. It was a great honour to be able to partake in the sessions with the team. I would never have thought that I would have the chance to play at such a major tournament. I was incredibly surprised.
... GERMANY’S STYLE OF PLAY: Every system has its pros and cons. We’ve worked on the negatives intensively over the last few weeks. We’re certain that we know how to implement our system effectively and with as few errors as possible.
... HER PRE-GAME RITUAL: The same as every other Bundesliga game. You get into your own rhythm. I don’t do anything special, but one thing I do is step onto the pitch with my left foot first. (laughs)
... HER RAPPORT WITH LINA MAGULL: We play well together. It’s fantastic to have the opportunity to play with her here.
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LINA MAGULL ON...
... THE EXCITEMENT AHEAD OF THE OPENER: I have played in other tournaments at youth level, but this is something else. I can’t wait to finally get the tournament underway. The pressure pushes you to keep going. We’re the defending champions and our aim is to lift the title once more. Even though Caro and I are new, we believe in the whole team and us being able to be crowned champions once more. The first step to doing so comes on Monday. We’ll see where we are after the game.
... THE RECORD AGAINST SWEDEN: We’re not concerning ourselves with that. We’re just taking the game as it comes, and we want to show once more that we’re the better team.
... GERMANY’S STYLE OF PLAY: Our footballing philosophy is built on the fact that we want to attack and dominate possession. We also have a strong back-four.
... HER PRE-GAME RITUAL: It’s just the same as any other game. I like to lie in bed and focus on the game. I don’t look at my phone.
... THE FREE TIME BEFORE GAMES: We had this morning off, so Caro and I and a few other girls had a yoga session. After that, we had a Playstation session. The others went into town this morning and told us how nice it is, and that’s something we’re still yet to do. That’s how we use our free time.
... HER RAPPORT WITH CAROLIN SIMON: I’m really looking forward to taking to the pitch with her. We’re a good team at our club. We look out for each other on the pitch because we know it works and it’s fun.
