On Saturday (14:00 CEST), Germany face France in a women’s international. IT will be a special game for Annike Krahn, who plays for Paris Saint-German. DFB.de spoke with the player, who has 108 caps for Germany, about preparation for the 2015 World Cup in Canada, her experiences in France and the upcoming game.
DFB.de: Preparation for the World Cup begins with a tough game against tricky opposition. What sort of game should the fans in Offenbach expect?
Annike Krahn: It will be a balanced and interesting match. It will be a great game for the fans, as well as the players.
DFB.de: You play for Paris Saint-Germain alongside a number of French internaitonals. Do you talk about the game a lot?
Krahn: It’s mentioned from time to time. My colleagues in midfield say things like: “Hey, you may be playing for a different team, but remember, we know exactly how you play…” (laughs).
DFB.de: There is a big title at stake next year, will this game be ideal preparation?
Krahn: Exactly. France are a good team, which they showed at the European Championship in Sweden. They performed well in the last World Cup and at the Olympics. They won all ten of their qualifiers for the tournament in Canada. They have performed well against some of the biggest teams in the game; picking up draws against Brazil and the USA. They will be tough opposition.
DFB.de: The last meeting between the sides was a 3-3 draw in Strasbourg.
On Saturday (14:00 CEST), Germany face France in a women’s international. IT will be a special game for Annike Krahn, who plays for Paris Saint-German. DFB.de spoke with the player, who has 108 caps for Germany, about preparation for the 2015 World Cup in Canada, her experiences in France and the upcoming game.
DFB.de: Preparation for the World Cup begins with a tough game against tricky opposition. What sort of game should the fans in Offenbach expect?
Annike Krahn: It will be a balanced and interesting match. It will be a great game for the fans, as well as the players.
DFB.de: You play for Paris Saint-Germain alongside a number of French internaitonals. Do you talk about the game a lot?
Krahn: It’s mentioned from time to time. My colleagues in midfield say things like: “Hey, you may be playing for a different team, but remember, we know exactly how you play…” (laughs).
DFB.de: There is a big title at stake next year, will this game be ideal preparation?
Krahn: Exactly. France are a good team, which they showed at the European Championship in Sweden. They performed well in the last World Cup and at the Olympics. They won all ten of their qualifiers for the tournament in Canada. They have performed well against some of the biggest teams in the game; picking up draws against Brazil and the USA. They will be tough opposition.
DFB.de: The last meeting between the sides was a 3-3 draw in Strasbourg.
Krahn: They made it tough for us that day – they were 3-1 in front but we managed to equalise thankfully. My French teammates are adamant they will win on Saturday, but I’ve told them that they can as World Cup victory is more important for us anyway (laughs). But in all seriousness, it is an important game for us, one that we are determined to come out on top in.
DFB.de: What sort of team are France?
Krahn: They attack strongly and have played together for years. They are very technical and fit. They will make it difficult for us from the start – it won’t be easy for us to play our own game.
DFB.de: You’ve played in France for three years, what’s it like there?
Krahn: It’s very professional. Everything is planned with precision. We are all professional footballers, so everything we do on a matchday is with high intensity and quality because we train together a lot. We have competition for places because of the huge quality in our squad - we can rotate our team but the quality doesn’t drop.
DFB.de: There are five German players in the PSG squad. How is this for you?
Krahn: I helped the others out when they arrived but they picked everything up quickly. It was difficult for me when I joined because I didn’t understand the language properly. I wasn’t only the first German to play for the club, but also one of the first foreign players. Nowadays we have players from all over the place, which is great. The atmosphere in the camp is great and we learn a lot about each other.
DFB.de: Have you developed as a person whilst in Paris?
Krahn: I have developed as a person: I’ve learned a new language, discovered a new culture and am experiencing plenty of new things. I have also improved as a player.
DFB.de: Do you feel at home in the city?
Krahn: It’s nice here – I know a lot about the city, but Bochum will always be my home.
