Another year has come to an end and coach Silvia Neid and the Germany Women can look back on an eventful 2015. The World Cup in Canada is the focus, which saw the DFB-Team finish fourth and secure themselves a place at the Olympic Games. But there’s also the retirements of Nadine Angerer and Celia Sasic to consider, players that certainly left their mark on the national team.
In an interview with DFB.de, Silvia Neid reminisces about her most emotional moments of the year, talks about what consequences have been drawn after the World Cup, sheds light on collaborating with the Bundesliga clubs and looks ahead to her final tournament in charge, the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
DFB.de: What was the most positive emotional moment for you in 2015 as Germany manager?
Silvia Neid: Our World Cup quarterfinal against France when we won on penalties and reached the semi-finals against USA. It was very emotional and was a real thrill for the whole team – simply unforgettable.
DFB.de: Which moment do you prefer not to look back on?
Neid: Our last two World Cup games come to mind – the semi-finals against USA and the third-place play-off against England. Obviously you think about what could have been if we had put our spot kick against USA away. I get the same feeling when I look back at the England game and remember that we had eight chances to their two and somehow didn’t manage to win the match.
DFB.de: You finished fourth at the World Cup – what’s your assessment of that?
Neid: Ahead of the World Cup, I said that if we manage to be among the top four sides in the world, then that’s great. We can be proud of finishing fourth and qualifying for the Olympic Games. My colleagues from Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands and Norway have to take part in qualifiers in March and so have other things to worry about than I do. We, on the other hand, can start planning for Rio.
Another year has come to an end and coach Silvia Neid and the Germany Women can look back on an eventful 2015. The World Cup in Canada is the focus, which saw the DFB-Team finish fourth and secure themselves a place at the Olympic Games. But there’s also the retirements of Nadine Angerer and Celia Sasic to consider, players that certainly left their mark on the national team.
In an interview with DFB.de, Silvia Neid reminisces about her most emotional moments of the year, talks about what consequences have been drawn after the World Cup, sheds light on collaborating with the Bundesliga clubs and looks ahead to her final tournament in charge, the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
DFB.de: What was the most positive emotional moment for you in 2015 as Germany manager?
Silvia Neid: Our World Cup quarterfinal against France when we won on penalties and reached the semi-finals against USA. It was very emotional and was a real thrill for the whole team – simply unforgettable.
DFB.de: Which moment do you prefer not to look back on?
Neid: Our last two World Cup games come to mind – the semi-finals against USA and the third-place play-off against England. Obviously you think about what could have been if we had put our spot kick against USA away. I get the same feeling when I look back at the England game and remember that we had eight chances to their two and somehow didn’t manage to win the match.
DFB.de: You finished fourth at the World Cup – what’s your assessment of that?
Neid: Ahead of the World Cup, I said that if we manage to be among the top four sides in the world, then that’s great. We can be proud of finishing fourth and qualifying for the Olympic Games. My colleagues from Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands and Norway have to take part in qualifiers in March and so have other things to worry about than I do. We, on the other hand, can start planning for Rio.
DFB.de: The World Cup has been thoroughly analysed and assessed, together with the coaches from the Allianz Frauen-Bundesliga too.
Neid: Yes, we held a conference with all the Bundesliga coaches in early December and engaged in intensive discussions. My team was one of the best at the World Cup when it came to defensive work and build-up play. Our problem, however, was in the final third, i.e. in front of goal. Not enough passes into the danger area found their target and the shots on goal weren’t effective enough. It’s a similar problem to what the favourites in Bundesliga games experience. It takes too many chances to score and we discussed that issue.
DFB.de: What was the result of those discussions?
Neid: We agreed that developing the players when it comes to composure on the ball under opposition pressure and being clinical in the final third is only possible if we all work together constructively and promote talents early enough. We want to optimise our collaboration in every department as we can only remain at the top of the game long-term if we pull together. At the end of the day, we’re all sitting in the same boat.
DFB.de: A good team needs leaders. Two of them announced their retirement after the World Cup in the form of Célia Sasic and Nadine Angerer. How can you fill those gaps?
Neid: Good question (laughs). They have left big shoes to fill and others now have the task of doing that. Sure, it’s important that we work as a team, but it’s also vital that you have players that can galvanise the team, just like Nadine Angerer and Célia Sasic did. It’s a task for all of us, as the players that would be candidates to do that have to want to do it too.
DFB.de: Is that one of your goals ahead of the Olympics, to not only have developed technically, but also to have moulded leaders?
Neid: It has to be. We’ve had to go without a lot of important players due to injury in the past months and years, players that have also played a big role within the hierarchy of our team. You can’t replace them overnight. Some of the younger players will therefore have to take on more and more responsibility and grow into that role. After all, the smallest things can make a big difference at tournaments and you need players like that.
DFB.de: It all comes to an end for you after the Olympics. You’re swapping the dugout for a desk and will take over the women’s scouting department at the DFB. Forgetting about the current European qualifying campaign for a moment, which you’re strolling through anyway, what are your thoughts ahead of these two major tasks for you in 2016?
Neid: I’m over the moon that we’ve qualified for the Olympics. I hope that the players can head into the preparations from 20th June healthy and in a good condition. Being able to take part in the Olympics Games is something special. I hope that we have a competitive squad and above all a fully fit group of players to choose from. If that’s the case, then I think that we’re capable of bringing a medal home.
DFB.de: And then after the Olympics, your desk job begins.
Neid: That’s right. I’m looking forward to that task a lot as it’s something new for me. It’s not just office work though. I’ll travel around the world a lot to see what the trends are in the women’s game. My job is to gather ideas, assess them and then make them available to Steffi Jones and her team – it’s an exciting prospect. But my full concentration at the moment remains on the women’s national team and our goals in European qualifying and at the Olympics.
