Anouschka Bernhard: "Try to get as far as possible"

A tough challenge lies ahead for Germany’s U-17 women’s team at the World Cup in Costa Rica, a tournament which kicks off this Sunday and draws to a close on 4 April. DFB coach Anouschka Bernhard is well aware of the size of the task facing the reigning European champions in Central America, with her young side already drawn against some formidable opponents in the group stages of the competition.

In the DFB.de Interview of the Week with Editor Niels Barnhofer, Anouschka Bernhard outlines her expectations for the World Cup and speaks about the challenges ahead, new experiences, what impresses her and the fantastic learning experience that such a tournament offers.

DFB.de: Ms Bernhard, how do you respond to those who say that Germany’s women’s footballers have already won everything on offer in the game?

Anouschka Bernhard: That’s definitely the case for the senior team.

DFB.de: The U-17 World Cup title is missing from the DFB trophy cabinet. How hopeful can the fans be of a triumph in Costa Rica?

Bernhard: Our aim for the tournament in Costa Rica is obviously to get as far as possible. We’ll try to do as well as possible, but it’ll be very tough to actually win the title. That’s why I don’t want to make any promises. That said, winning titles isn’t necessarily priority No1 at youth level.

DFB.de: Why is it such a tricky task?

Bernhard: Well, to start with we’ve been drawn in a hugely difficult group alongside North Korea, Ghana and Canada. It’s the toughest group by far. It means that even if you play really well, there’s still a chance of getting knocked out in the group stages.

DFB.de: Let’s hear your views on the three group opponents…

Bernhard: North Korea are definitely favourites for the title and also occupy first place in the FIFA world rankings for the U-17 category. They have a very strong team, capable of maintaining a high tempo for the entire duration of a match. The players have been trained well both technically and tactically, and don’t make many mistakes. You could say that they lack that little bit of creativity, but their other qualities make up for this. Ghana, on the other hand, employ rather unorthodox tactics. It can get very physical against them - their players really push the rules to the limits. Canada are the “most European” opponents in the group. The players have been trained well tactically and have a similar physique to the US players. The Canadians try to implement their own footballing philosophy to win games.

DFB.de: It sounds like these three teams could be competing for the title then. Who else are favourites?

Bernhard: I would class North Korea, Japan and Spain as the favourites – even though we did beat Spain in the European Championship final. If Ghana get past the group stages, I think they’ll go far in the tournament.

DFB.de: Big footballing nations such as Brazil and USA won’t feature at the tournament. Does this speak volumes about the quality of the sides on show?

Bernhard: You have to say that the Brazilians have still not managed to get it quite right in this age category. However, I’m surprised that USA didn’t make it through qualifying, but that’s partly down to the way that qualification works. With Costa Rica qualifying automatically as hosts of the tournament, there were only two more qualification spots available for Central and North American nations. And USA lost in the semi-final.

DFB.de: Can we draw any conclusions from this?

Bernhard: Yes. You can already see that more and more national associations are starting to train female players at an earlier stage and that more and more is being invested in this area. It’s in the interests of these associations to select and train talented players as early as possible. The result is that they have a great many good-quality young players at their disposal – even before U-19 or U-20 level.

DFB.de: Performance is definitely the main criteria, but which non-sporting factors will play a role at the World Cup?

Bernhard: The climate will be a factor. Both of our first two games will take place in Liberia, where the temperature will be upwards of 30 degrees. And then of course there’s the time difference. We’ll need to adapt to the local conditions. And all the hustle and bustle surrounding the tournament will be a new experience for the players too, whether it’s in the form of press conferences or training courses and meetings held by FIFA. There’ll be drug tests for every single group match. We’ll even be met by flower girls on our arrival at the airport. FIFA will have television crews all over the place too. Most of the matches will be shown live on Eurosport. These are just a few things that’ll be new for our players, things they’ll have little or no experience of.

DFB.de: A World Cup like this serves as an exhibition of women’s international football. Are you expecting to see new trends and new developments?

Bernhard: I’m not so sure about trends, but definitely developments. It’s good for our players to get the chance to see what things are like at the top of the international game. We have talented players, players with ability, but it’s a long, long road before you reach a world-class level, even in this age category. Our players will learn from this World Cup; they’ll learn that they still need to work hard on their games to reach the top.

DFB.de: Just how much do you emphasise to the players that the tournament is a learning experience?

Bernhard: I’d tell them that that’s 100% the case. But obviously having a successful tournament is also important. You can learn from all aspects of a World Cup. You learn from the best! On a sporting level, of course, but also on a personal level. If things go well, then we’ll all be together for four weeks. That’s when you need to learn to deal with intense emotions – whether it’s before or during a quarter final, a semi-final or even the final. You need to put your personal feelings to one side if you’re not in the starting line-up. So a tournament like this will definitely serve as a learning experience.

DFB.de: Just how much does a tournament like this help you to develop as a coach?

Bernhard: It’s a learning experience for me too. I also have to approach it from a new angle and get to grips with it all. What worked two years ago at the U-17 World Cup in Azerbaijan might not necessarily work this time around - in terms of team management or the preparation for the individual games, for example. Of course you keep an eye on the other teams and keep up to date with international developments. In this respect, it offers me an opportunity to learn and to make progress.

DFB.de: This is your second World Cup after the one in Azerbaijan in 2012. What did you learn back then – and how will this change your approach this time?

Bernhard: That you can leave absolutely nothing to chance. That you need to have a plan that covers every eventuality. For example, what happens if game A goes well or badly? Will we need to deal with injuries? Etc., etc., etc. There are a great many small details that are impossible to predict beforehand. Another thing that I felt at that World Cup is a great sense of pride for my players. They went about their task in such a calm fashion. As a coach, I was tense before the matches. I can only imagine what it’s like for players who’re only 15 or 16. That really impressed me two years ago. And even if you’re faced with new situations, you can still draw on your experience from the last World Cup.

DFB.de: Sara Däbritz wasn’t just calm back then; she put in some good performances too. She was involved in Azerbaijan and has now established herself in the senior squad. Which of the current crop might follow in her footsteps?

Bernhard: To a certain extent, Sara’s rise to the full national team was dictated by the circumstances at the time – a lot of Germany’s players were ruled out of EURO 2013 through injury. She took her chance and has now established herself, but this is an exceptional case. It’s not exactly normal for players to skip the U-19 category and to go straight into the senior squad. However, there are some players from the 1997 generation who have the potential to work their way into the full national team – although it won’t happen by next summer.

DFB.de: Final question: If you had three wishes for the tournament, what would they be?

Bernhard: That we go home with a medal. That we don’t have any bad injuries. And that all of the players look back at the tournament at some point and say that it was a fantastic experience for them, and one which contributed to their sporting development.