Monday night, Germany's A-team started into the year 2007 with a long plane ride. The women took off on their eleven hours flight for Guangzhou (China), where the reigning European- and World Champions will play three friendly games. The team of head coach Silvia Neid will try to defend their World Cup title later this year, as the 2007 FIFA World Cup will take place in China in September. DFB.de talked with Ms. Neid about her expectations for the upcoming friendly games against the United States (0-0), China (0-0) and England (January 30, 6.30 A.M., live).
Question: Ms Neid, your team will compete at the "Four Nations Cup" in a few days, which really is the official beginning for the World Cup year 2007. It is also a trial run for the World Cup later in the year, on and off the field. Do you already feel the excitement?
Silvia Neid: Yes, I'm very much looking forward to September. We will give it an all-out effort to play another successful tournament. Our preparation did start quite some time ago. With the qualifying behind us, we played two games against England and Japan late in 2006. Then we also had all players take a physical examination in Cologne. The upcoming "Four Nations Cup" is yet another step towards the World Cup.
Question: What do you expect for the tournament in Guangzhou?
Silvia Neid: We are competing against some of the elite in women's football, so this will give us a great indication of where we are at. The tournament will be a measuring stick. Just think, the USA is ranked second in the world, China is in 9th place, and England has improved to the 12th rank. All three will be playing at the World Cup. But please, you also have to consider that we are just coming out off our winter break and that some of our best players cannot make the trip. But I still want to see good results on the field. We also need to use this opportunity to test our organisation. We need to learn everything about the conditions in China.
Question: What will be your primary focus these next ten days?
Silvia Neid: We did very good during the qualification round, as we won every game. For the first time ever, we did win the Algarve Cup. In four games against the USA, Norway, Sweden and Finland, we did not surrender a single goal. In 2006, we just lost one game, against China, and we did not look bad in that game. But we have also found out a few weaknesses. We need to improve our defense, our passing game and also on our running lanes. There's enough work left for everybody.
Question: Are you worried for the World Cup?
Silvia Neid: No, that's not my nature. I prefer to see the bright side of things. But I also need to work meticulously. I don't want to leave anything to chance. That's why I feel great about having assembled such a great staff. Ulrike Ballweg and Maren Meinert are incredible experts; both are much more than assistants. With Thomas Ernst, we have found a great coach for our goalkeepers, while Dr. Norbert Stein will support us in our conditioning.
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Monday night, Germany's A-team started into the year 2007 with a long plane ride. The women took off on their eleven hours flight for Guangzhou (China), where the reigning European- and World Champions will play three friendly games. The team of head coach Silvia Neid will try to defend their World Cup title later this year, as the 2007 FIFA World Cup will take place in China in September. DFB.de talked with Ms. Neid about her expectations for the upcoming friendly games against the United States (0-0), China (0-0) and England (January 30, 6.30 A.M., live).
Question: Ms Neid, your team will compete at the "Four Nations Cup" in a few days, which really is the official beginning for the World Cup year 2007. It is also a trial run for the World Cup later in the year, on and off the field. Do you already feel the excitement?
Silvia Neid: Yes, I'm very much looking forward to September. We will give it an all-out effort to play another successful tournament. Our preparation did start quite some time ago. With the qualifying behind us, we played two games against England and Japan late in 2006. Then we also had all players take a physical examination in Cologne. The upcoming "Four Nations Cup" is yet another step towards the World Cup.
Question: What do you expect for the tournament in Guangzhou?
Silvia Neid: We are competing against some of the elite in women's football, so this will give us a great indication of where we are at. The tournament will be a measuring stick. Just think, the USA is ranked second in the world, China is in 9th place, and England has improved to the 12th rank. All three will be playing at the World Cup. But please, you also have to consider that we are just coming out off our winter break and that some of our best players cannot make the trip. But I still want to see good results on the field. We also need to use this opportunity to test our organisation. We need to learn everything about the conditions in China.
Question: What will be your primary focus these next ten days?
Silvia Neid: We did very good during the qualification round, as we won every game. For the first time ever, we did win the Algarve Cup. In four games against the USA, Norway, Sweden and Finland, we did not surrender a single goal. In 2006, we just lost one game, against China, and we did not look bad in that game. But we have also found out a few weaknesses. We need to improve our defense, our passing game and also on our running lanes. There's enough work left for everybody.
Question: Are you worried for the World Cup?
Silvia Neid: No, that's not my nature. I prefer to see the bright side of things. But I also need to work meticulously. I don't want to leave anything to chance. That's why I feel great about having assembled such a great staff. Ulrike Ballweg and Maren Meinert are incredible experts; both are much more than assistants. With Thomas Ernst, we have found a great coach for our goalkeepers, while Dr. Norbert Stein will support us in our conditioning.
