It’s third against second, as 1. FFC Frankfurt take on FC Bayern München. Who can stay on leaders VfL Wolfsburg's heels? Just before Christmas, the second half of the season in the Allianz Frauen-Bundesliga has begun. A lot of the evidence points towards a four-way battle for the title and in the thick of it is FC Bayern München und Viktoria Schnaderbeck.
The 23-year-old has been with Bayern since 2007 and the Austrian has therefore witnessed the whole development of this Bayern Munich team. Appropriately, she speaks confidently about their aims: “It would be great if we could qualify for the Champions League.” There is still a chance of that happening this year. In an interview with DFB.de, the midfield player speaks about the big match on Sunday at 11:00.
DFB.de: Ms Schnaderbeck, despite the 0-0 result in your last match with SGS Essen, do you think that everything is currently going perfectly for you and FC Bayern München?
Viktoria Schnaderbeck: The first half of the campaign is now finished and we can be quite happy about our current second-place position. For sure we would have liked to have won in Essen but we can also live with a share of the points. There are no more easy matches in the Allianz Frauen-Bundesliga. That much is clear. If you don’t have your best day then you can lose against any opposition. That of course makes everything more exciting and attractive to watch.
DFB.de: Are you surprised that you are the closest team to leaders VfL Wolfsburg after the first half of the season?
Schnaderbeck: Of course it is currently a great moment for us but it is also clear that we are only at the half-way stage. A lot can happen from now onwards and we are happy about that. It was clear that we have quality in our squad. The fact that we go used to eachother so quickly after the change in the summer is a bit surprising. Frankly, I expected the process to take a lot longer. We have a lot of players from different countries here but we all get on well. I think that is one of the reasons for our success.
DFB.de: On Sunday you have got a real challenge on your hands against 1. FFC Frankfurt. What do you expect from the match?
Schnaderbeck: This will again be a highlight for us. In the first game we were able to draw 1-1. We want to build on that and these are the kinds of matches that we have worked towards all year.
DFB.de: If you win, there will already be a clear gap between you and Frankfurt. Is it too early to say that this game will have a big say on the season, at least in terms of the Champions League places?
Schnaderbeck: There is no chance that any questions about the championship will be answered on Sunday. The season is too long and a lot can still happen. We can provide a cushion for ourselves and it would be great if we could win the game.
DFB.de: Have FC Bayern even reached their potential yet? Leonie Maier has just returned after a torn ACL and Lena Lotzen is working on her comeback...
Schnaderbeck: I am happy that Leo Maier is now back. She makes us stronger and the competition is greater. It will take some time for Lena but when she is back we will have another great player available. Laura Feiersinger, Carina Wenninger and Sarah Romert will also come back in the New Year.
DFB.de: You yourself have been at Bayern since 2007...
Schnaderbeck: ...actually I have only really been here since 2010. I ripped my cruciate ligament twice and I also had damage to my meniscus. That was not a great start to my time here.
DFB.de: But you fought through. What improvements have you seen in the club?
Schnaderbeck: It’s absolutely incredible what has happened here the last few years. You can now make no comparison to the situation in 2007. Everything is more professional in every way and women’s football has in general developed hugely. I think that it has become much more athletic and better to watch. I am very proud that I could be a part of that. I know that many of the players from my early days at Bayern are no longer here.
DFB.de: What aims do you still want to achieve with Bayern?
Schnaderbeck: In the long-term, I would very much like to win one or two titles with Bayern. It would also be great if we could qualify for the Champions League. I would love to have the opportunity to play on the international stage. I was also here when we won the 2012 German Cup. The final in Köln was a great experience that we would like to repeat but we know that we have to work for it. The quarter finals will be a big challenge for us, as just before Christmas we have to play against FFC Frankfurt again.
DFB.de: You have already gained international experience with the Austrian national team.
Schnaderbeck: That’s correct but it’s a completely different thing to club football.
DFB.de: How strong do you think the Austrian squad is?
Schnaderbeck: I am proud to be captain of this team. We have recently developed really well. In the qualifying stages for the 2015 World Cup in Canada next year, we came second in our group. Unfortunately, that was not enough to reach the play-offs. Now we have a fresh start and our goal is to qualify for the 2017 European Championship in the Netherlands. That would be a great thing for women’s football in Austria.
[mmc/emd]
It’s third against second, as 1. FFC Frankfurt take on FC Bayern München. Who can stay on leaders VfL Wolfsburg's heels? Just before Christmas, the second half of the season in the Allianz Frauen-Bundesliga has begun. A lot of the evidence points towards a four-way battle for the title and in the thick of it is FC Bayern München und Viktoria Schnaderbeck.
The 23-year-old has been with Bayern since 2007 and the Austrian has therefore witnessed the whole development of this Bayern Munich team. Appropriately, she speaks confidently about their aims: “It would be great if we could qualify for the Champions League.” There is still a chance of that happening this year. In an interview with DFB.de, the midfield player speaks about the big match on Sunday at 11:00.
DFB.de: Ms Schnaderbeck, despite the 0-0 result in your last match with SGS Essen, do you think that everything is currently going perfectly for you and FC Bayern München?
Viktoria Schnaderbeck: The first half of the campaign is now finished and we can be quite happy about our current second-place position. For sure we would have liked to have won in Essen but we can also live with a share of the points. There are no more easy matches in the Allianz Frauen-Bundesliga. That much is clear. If you don’t have your best day then you can lose against any opposition. That of course makes everything more exciting and attractive to watch.
DFB.de: Are you surprised that you are the closest team to leaders VfL Wolfsburg after the first half of the season?
Schnaderbeck: Of course it is currently a great moment for us but it is also clear that we are only at the half-way stage. A lot can happen from now onwards and we are happy about that. It was clear that we have quality in our squad. The fact that we go used to eachother so quickly after the change in the summer is a bit surprising. Frankly, I expected the process to take a lot longer. We have a lot of players from different countries here but we all get on well. I think that is one of the reasons for our success.
DFB.de: On Sunday you have got a real challenge on your hands against 1. FFC Frankfurt. What do you expect from the match?
Schnaderbeck: This will again be a highlight for us. In the first game we were able to draw 1-1. We want to build on that and these are the kinds of matches that we have worked towards all year.
DFB.de: If you win, there will already be a clear gap between you and Frankfurt. Is it too early to say that this game will have a big say on the season, at least in terms of the Champions League places?
Schnaderbeck: There is no chance that any questions about the championship will be answered on Sunday. The season is too long and a lot can still happen. We can provide a cushion for ourselves and it would be great if we could win the game.
DFB.de: Have FC Bayern even reached their potential yet? Leonie Maier has just returned after a torn ACL and Lena Lotzen is working on her comeback...
Schnaderbeck: I am happy that Leo Maier is now back. She makes us stronger and the competition is greater. It will take some time for Lena but when she is back we will have another great player available. Laura Feiersinger, Carina Wenninger and Sarah Romert will also come back in the New Year.
DFB.de: You yourself have been at Bayern since 2007...
Schnaderbeck: ...actually I have only really been here since 2010. I ripped my cruciate ligament twice and I also had damage to my meniscus. That was not a great start to my time here.
DFB.de: But you fought through. What improvements have you seen in the club?
Schnaderbeck: It’s absolutely incredible what has happened here the last few years. You can now make no comparison to the situation in 2007. Everything is more professional in every way and women’s football has in general developed hugely. I think that it has become much more athletic and better to watch. I am very proud that I could be a part of that. I know that many of the players from my early days at Bayern are no longer here.
DFB.de: What aims do you still want to achieve with Bayern?
Schnaderbeck: In the long-term, I would very much like to win one or two titles with Bayern. It would also be great if we could qualify for the Champions League. I would love to have the opportunity to play on the international stage. I was also here when we won the 2012 German Cup. The final in Köln was a great experience that we would like to repeat but we know that we have to work for it. The quarter finals will be a big challenge for us, as just before Christmas we have to play against FFC Frankfurt again.
DFB.de: You have already gained international experience with the Austrian national team.
Schnaderbeck: That’s correct but it’s a completely different thing to club football.
DFB.de: How strong do you think the Austrian squad is?
Schnaderbeck: I am proud to be captain of this team. We have recently developed really well. In the qualifying stages for the 2015 World Cup in Canada next year, we came second in our group. Unfortunately, that was not enough to reach the play-offs. Now we have a fresh start and our goal is to qualify for the 2017 European Championship in the Netherlands. That would be a great thing for women’s football in Austria.
