Popp: As reigning champions, our goal is of course to retain our title. I believe we can do that. We are a young team at the moment but we have shown in our games so far that we have managed the squad overhaul well and we are on a good path with the new head coach. If we continue to work hard and get to grips more and more with our new system and tactics, everything is possible.
DFB.de: What’s your take on VfL Wolfsburg’s current situation in the Women’s Bundesliga?
Popp: We dropped one or two points unnecessarily in the first half of the season and it’s doubly as annoying as Turbine Potsdam have a good cushion at the top of the table. However, I’m confident that nothing has been decided yet. In the last few years, our second half of the season has been stronger than the first half and if that’s the case again, we should be in with a chance. I also can’t imagine that Turbine will be faultless until the end of the campaign. The race for the championship will be exciting right until the end – I'm sure of it.
DFB.de: In the Champions League, a huge challenge in defending-champions Olympique Lyon awaits you in the next round. What’s more, you’re still in the DFB Cup, you have a lot on you plate...
Popp: Yes, absolutely. In the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga we’re still in the running. We’re excited to see who we get in the DFB Cup and in the Champions League, an absolute cracker awaits us. However, as they say, if you want to win the title, you have to beat everyone. It’s obviously a tough draw that we’ve been given Lyon in the quarterfinals. I have mixed feeling, it’s not the perfect situation but we obviously accept the challenge, maybe it’s also a chance. We’ll definitely fight on all three fronts and that’s how it should remain for as long as possible.
DFB.de: I’ve saved the most important question for last – How are you feeling after your injury, and when can we expect you back on the pitch?
Popp: I unfortunately can’t answer that question, I’d like to know myself but I have to wait until the inflammation goes. We have to wait until my foot feels better and I can put weight on it again.
Alexandra Popp can only watch her team from the sidelines at the moment after suffering an inflamed tendon in her foot, meaning she has been unable to prepare for the second half of the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga with VfL Wolfsburg. The 25-year old spoke to DFB.de about why it hasn’t been possible to put an exact date on her comeback. She also reflected on the biggest success of her career and looks forward to what the women’s team want to achieve by next summer.
DFB.de: Mrs Popp, before we start looking forwards, let’s look back at what an eventful year 2016 was. How was the year for you and the national women’s team?
Alexandra Popp: It was an unbelievably eventful year. We won almost all of our matches, but of course the best feeling of them all was winning the gold medal at the Olympic Games. Then we had to say goodbye to our coach Silvia Neid, a leading figure in women’s football over the past few years. Now we have entered a new era with Steffi Los. A lot of things happened, nearly everything was positive and we need to build on that.
DFB.de: Was winning the gold medal at the Olympics the biggest success of your career so far?
Popp: Yes, I would definitely say so. Winning the triple with VfL Wolfsburg in 2012/13 was something special though. We don’t know if a German women’s team will ever win the title, the DFB Cup and the Champions League all in one season again. I think that winning the Olympic gold medal was even better though. It was the first tournament I have ever won with Germany, I’ve always been injured on previous occasions. The Olympic Games is a huge tournament for most athletes, including me. I am unbelievably proud that we won.
DFB.de: You have already spoken with the new head coach. What are your impressions of Steffi Jones so far?
Popp: Extremely positive. She speaks to the team a lot and she has a very good philosophy. We are already working on new ways of playing in the attacking phases and are adapting well. I like that she is bringing things together intensively. When it comes to plans and intensity of training she always seeks out our opinions. Feedback with and from players is important. She wants to know whether things are too much or too little. We communicate a lot on the pitch, which is also very good. I am excited to see what we can do with the weeks and months ahead.
DFB.de: Looking ahead to the next few months, what do you believe is possible at the European Championships in the summer?
Popp: As reigning champions, our goal is of course to retain our title. I believe we can do that. We are a young team at the moment but we have shown in our games so far that we have managed the squad overhaul well and we are on a good path with the new head coach. If we continue to work hard and get to grips more and more with our new system and tactics, everything is possible.
DFB.de: What’s your take on VfL Wolfsburg’s current situation in the Women’s Bundesliga?
Popp: We dropped one or two points unnecessarily in the first half of the season and it’s doubly as annoying as Turbine Potsdam have a good cushion at the top of the table. However, I’m confident that nothing has been decided yet. In the last few years, our second half of the season has been stronger than the first half and if that’s the case again, we should be in with a chance. I also can’t imagine that Turbine will be faultless until the end of the campaign. The race for the championship will be exciting right until the end – I'm sure of it.
DFB.de: In the Champions League, a huge challenge in defending-champions Olympique Lyon awaits you in the next round. What’s more, you’re still in the DFB Cup, you have a lot on you plate...
Popp: Yes, absolutely. In the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga we’re still in the running. We’re excited to see who we get in the DFB Cup and in the Champions League, an absolute cracker awaits us. However, as they say, if you want to win the title, you have to beat everyone. It’s obviously a tough draw that we’ve been given Lyon in the quarterfinals. I have mixed feeling, it’s not the perfect situation but we obviously accept the challenge, maybe it’s also a chance. We’ll definitely fight on all three fronts and that’s how it should remain for as long as possible.
DFB.de: I’ve saved the most important question for last – How are you feeling after your injury, and when can we expect you back on the pitch?
Popp: I unfortunately can’t answer that question, I’d like to know myself but I have to wait until the inflammation goes. We have to wait until my foot feels better and I can put weight on it again.
