With the goalless EURO opener against Sweden behind them, the Germany’s ladies turn their attention to their second group-stage game against Italy on Friday (20:45 CEST). Goalkeeper Almuth Schult and goalkeeper coach Simon Panter discuss their next opponents, the lackluster attack, and the pressure, two days ahead of the game against the two-time European Championship runners-up.
Almuth Schult on...
… upcoming opponents Italy: It’ll be a similar game to the one against Sweden, because Italy are strong defensively and look to play on the counter. On the other hand, the ball won’t be in the air as much, although the Italians are smart players who always have the potential to pull off something special. We have to be aware of that.
… preparing for the game: Everything got going again today. We had a day off to switch off yesterday. There was a lot of talking. I met up with friends and took a walk around town. We analysed the game against Sweden. It wasn’t all bad, but it was also by no means all good. Now we’re focused on Italy. I hope that we’ve taken a step forward and that we can do better against the Italians.
… her predecessor Nadine Angerer: I still keep in contact with Natze. We write to each other now and again. She congratulated me after the game and said that she was impressed with my performance. I learned a lot from her. She’s a fantastic person and set some milestones. It’s my first EURO, but it’s not my first tournament. I’m happy to be able to be here representing Germany.
… joint-favourites France: The French had a difficult game, as Iceland defended superbly. When you play as a team, there isn’t much that you can’t achieve in this game. There haven’t been many goals as the teams have been defensively orientated, and in addition the teams are displaying a high level of fitness. It was a difficult game. Despite that, you could see why France are considered one of the favourites for the title. They have incredibly accomplished players.
… the injuries to Alex Popp and Svenja Huth: Alex has become an important player for us and on top of that an exceptional striker. Svenja’s injury is equally as tragic. Every defender hates playing against her. However, we’ve got quality and depth in this team. We could play with an inverted striker formation in the event of an emergency, but otherwise we have Sara Däbritz and Lina Magull who are capable of playing at the position. In addition, we’ve got for Mandy Islacker, Hasret Kajikci, and Anja Mittag. I don’t think that we’ll lose any sleep over the matter.
… possible pressure in the first game: For many, this was their first match at a European Championship and their first at a tournament of this calibre. It is only natural that there were some nerves. It was also my first match at the Euro. Now this is different. Our match against Italy will be our second of the tournament. I think that the nerves will go away. Of course there is more pressure now, we need to win the game.
… male team as role models: I enjoy watching the Bundesliga, Europa League, Champions League, Premier League. The Germany goalkeepers continue to be role models for us. Manuel Neuer has revolutionised the game for goalkeepers and is not the best goalkeeper in the world for nothing. Marc-André ter Stegen is really strong on the ball and then there is Kevin Trapp and Bernd Leno. We have many fantastic keepers. We have never had a problem in that position in Germany and so may it continue.
SIMON PANTER ON...
... the key points in training: We have done a lot of work on crosses. We have analysed Italy and adapted our training accordingly to work on how the Italians play going forward.
... Almuth Schult’s game: We need Almuth as somebody who can play it out from the back. She played some brilliant passes forward against Sweden. Her game can always be improved. It has developed hugely compared to how it was before. The goalkeeper is becoming more important as a communicator and a position as a whole.
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With the goalless EURO opener against Sweden behind them, the Germany’s ladies turn their attention to their second group-stage game against Italy on Friday (20:45 CEST). Goalkeeper Almuth Schult and goalkeeper coach Simon Panter discuss their next opponents, the lackluster attack, and the pressure, two days ahead of the game against the two-time European Championship runners-up.
Almuth Schult on...
… upcoming opponents Italy: It’ll be a similar game to the one against Sweden, because Italy are strong defensively and look to play on the counter. On the other hand, the ball won’t be in the air as much, although the Italians are smart players who always have the potential to pull off something special. We have to be aware of that.
… preparing for the game: Everything got going again today. We had a day off to switch off yesterday. There was a lot of talking. I met up with friends and took a walk around town. We analysed the game against Sweden. It wasn’t all bad, but it was also by no means all good. Now we’re focused on Italy. I hope that we’ve taken a step forward and that we can do better against the Italians.
… her predecessor Nadine Angerer: I still keep in contact with Natze. We write to each other now and again. She congratulated me after the game and said that she was impressed with my performance. I learned a lot from her. She’s a fantastic person and set some milestones. It’s my first EURO, but it’s not my first tournament. I’m happy to be able to be here representing Germany.
… joint-favourites France: The French had a difficult game, as Iceland defended superbly. When you play as a team, there isn’t much that you can’t achieve in this game. There haven’t been many goals as the teams have been defensively orientated, and in addition the teams are displaying a high level of fitness. It was a difficult game. Despite that, you could see why France are considered one of the favourites for the title. They have incredibly accomplished players.
… the injuries to Alex Popp and Svenja Huth: Alex has become an important player for us and on top of that an exceptional striker. Svenja’s injury is equally as tragic. Every defender hates playing against her. However, we’ve got quality and depth in this team. We could play with an inverted striker formation in the event of an emergency, but otherwise we have Sara Däbritz and Lina Magull who are capable of playing at the position. In addition, we’ve got for Mandy Islacker, Hasret Kajikci, and Anja Mittag. I don’t think that we’ll lose any sleep over the matter.
… possible pressure in the first game: For many, this was their first match at a European Championship and their first at a tournament of this calibre. It is only natural that there were some nerves. It was also my first match at the Euro. Now this is different. Our match against Italy will be our second of the tournament. I think that the nerves will go away. Of course there is more pressure now, we need to win the game.
… male team as role models: I enjoy watching the Bundesliga, Europa League, Champions League, Premier League. The Germany goalkeepers continue to be role models for us. Manuel Neuer has revolutionised the game for goalkeepers and is not the best goalkeeper in the world for nothing. Marc-André ter Stegen is really strong on the ball and then there is Kevin Trapp and Bernd Leno. We have many fantastic keepers. We have never had a problem in that position in Germany and so may it continue.
SIMON PANTER ON...
... the key points in training: We have done a lot of work on crosses. We have analysed Italy and adapted our training accordingly to work on how the Italians play going forward.
... Almuth Schult’s game: We need Almuth as somebody who can play it out from the back. She played some brilliant passes forward against Sweden. Her game can always be improved. It has developed hugely compared to how it was before. The goalkeeper is becoming more important as a communicator and a position as a whole.
