Five games, five wins – under new coach Michael Rudolph, Turbine Potsdam are brushing everyone aside so far in the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga. They continued their fine form on Saturday afternoon, beating SGS Essen 2-0, with the deciding goal coming 20 minutes from the end from Germany national team member Svenja Huth.
In an interview with DFB.de, the 25-year old discussed her side’s excellent run of results and the rise from the bottom to the top. But naturally, Huth is looking ahead to what comes next. On Saturday she will be back with the national team for their game against Austria in Regensburg (kick off 14:15 CEST). They are also set to meet the Netherlands in Aalen on Thursday (16:10 CEST).
DFB.de: Ms. Huth, you have managed five wins from your five league games so far. What has been the key to this great start to the campaign?
Svenja Huth: We have worked very hard, and now we are just reaping the rewards of that. At the moment, things are just going really well. We are very pleased with the current situation but we cannot sit back on that and cause problems for ourselves.
DFB.de: What happened last weekend, when you were unsuccessful against second division Werder Bremen in the DFB Cup?
Huth: We were very annoyed with that, but it is done now. We cannot do anything more about it now. We talked about what went wrong in the aftermath of the game and analysed things with the coach and look to learn from it. After that, we put it behind us and decided to look forward. We wanted to make up for things against Essen.
DFB.de: Fair to say that you managed to do that in an impressive manner…
Huth: Yes, and I believe that we absolutely deserved the win. We should have been leading by more than one before the half time break and it was our fault that we allowed it to still be a contest in the later stages. We wanted to prevent that.
DFB.de:
The game’s script went pretty well for you – the early red card for Essen, leading to the free kick that gave you the lead.Huth: At that point we had 80 minutes of the game remaining and we knew that we had to be patient. It was clear that the opportunities would come our way, which is how things happened, but unfortunately we did not do quite enough overall – because of that, my goal with 20 minutes left came as something of a relief. We knew that Essen would be unable to come back after that.
DFB.de: What has made Potsdam so strong up until now?
Huth: We are a tight team on and off the pitch. And by that, I do not just mean the eleven players that take to the pitch. Even those who are not always in the starting eleven give their all. As a result, the level of quality in training is very high. You then notice that in our games in the women’s Bundesliga.
DFB.de: What role has the change of head coach in the summer played?
Huth: That is also an important reason for our success so far. Michael Rudolph has brought a lot of fresh ideas. We are working extremely hard on our tactical awareness and he has made a few switches. We also place a big emphasis on our defensive work. We have only conceded one goal so far, which is also a key factor. It has gone perfectly until now.
DFB.de: Nearly a quarter of the season has already gone. What is now possible for your team? Have you started to dream of the title?
Huth: It is too early for that and we are definitely not thinking about it. We are just enjoying the moment and are preparing well for the next challenge. Everything else is meaningless. We are only ever looking at the next game ahead. I know that sounds like a bit of a cliché, but it is the truth.
DFB.de: You are yet to play against FC Bayern or VfL Wolfsburg. Will those games be the ultimate test?
Huth: We are looking forward to these challenges. But we are confident enough to able to say that we can beat any of those teams on our day. But you also have to remember that we have already played against some very tough opposition so far. We have managed to beat teams such as Frankfurt, Sand and now Essen. These types of games are never walkovers.
DFB.de: There is now a two week break in the women’s Bundesliga due to the international break. Has this come at a good time?
Huth: In the form that we are in, we would have had no objections to carrying on from where we are. We will not be letting the international break disrupt our rhythm, which we have built up over the last few weeks. Now though, I am really looking forward to the two international games with the Germany team. I do not have to mention the fact that these sorts of games are always a highlight.
DFB.de: These will be the first two international home games with Steffi Jones as head coach. Will that be a special moment for you?
Huth: Of course! I am delighted to be back with the team. Austria and Holland will provide two tough tests for the team. I am eager to see what new ideas Steffi Jones will bring to the side. I feel great at the moment and want to show that with the national team.
