With their first win in the European Championship in the Netherlands in the books, the door to the quarter-final stands wide open for Germany’s women’s team. Babbett Peter and Josephine Henning spoke to the press one day after defeating Italy 2-1, in order to discuss the Italians, the tournament so far, and the task ahead of them.
Babett Peter on...
... her successful penalty: Generally speaking we don’t have a pre-determined list of penalty talkers, but I’m always up for taking on the responsibility. I had a short chat with Maro (Dzsenifer Marozsan) and said: “Yes, I’ll take it.” It felt like an eternity before I was able to actually allowed to take the penalty.
... her exceptional composure: I just try to help lead the team by staying calm.
... the highs and lows of the tournament thus far: I’m a glass half-full type of person. We’ve got four points and it’s all in our own hands now. We’ll play to win against Russia and then see what comes of it.
... Italy’s goal: I was one step behind. That happens in football, otherwise there would be hardly any goals in football – but it’s also a mistake we can learn from.
... converting their chances: We’re very self-critical and know that we can do better. Sure, it’s a topic that we’ll discuss in order to find out how we can link-up with one another better to make sure we find the back of the net. However, ultimately I couldn’t care less how the goals are scored – the main thing is that we do score.
... the formation: It’s a brave formation to field and it suits the quality of players that we have in our team. We have highly talented players in our squad with skill that’s never been seen before in generations past. We have to counter quickly when we win back possession, because things can get very tight otherwise. The coaching staff and the players have the utmost of faith in our style of play.
... winning the group: First and foremost, our priority has to be to reach the quarter-final. Nothing else matters. We’re not looking at the other team – we just want to claim the three points against Russia. Then we’ll look ahead.
With their first win in the European Championship in the Netherlands in the books, the door to the quarter-final stands wide open for Germany’s women’s team. Babbett Peter and Josephine Henning spoke to the press one day after defeating Italy 2-1, in order to discuss the Italians, the tournament so far, and the task ahead of them.
Babett Peter on...
... her successful penalty: Generally speaking we don’t have a pre-determined list of penalty talkers, but I’m always up for taking on the responsibility. I had a short chat with Maro (Dzsenifer Marozsan) and said: “Yes, I’ll take it.” It felt like an eternity before I was able to actually allowed to take the penalty.
... her exceptional composure: I just try to help lead the team by staying calm.
... the highs and lows of the tournament thus far: I’m a glass half-full type of person. We’ve got four points and it’s all in our own hands now. We’ll play to win against Russia and then see what comes of it.
... Italy’s goal: I was one step behind. That happens in football, otherwise there would be hardly any goals in football – but it’s also a mistake we can learn from.
... converting their chances: We’re very self-critical and know that we can do better. Sure, it’s a topic that we’ll discuss in order to find out how we can link-up with one another better to make sure we find the back of the net. However, ultimately I couldn’t care less how the goals are scored – the main thing is that we do score.
... the formation: It’s a brave formation to field and it suits the quality of players that we have in our team. We have highly talented players in our squad with skill that’s never been seen before in generations past. We have to counter quickly when we win back possession, because things can get very tight otherwise. The coaching staff and the players have the utmost of faith in our style of play.
... winning the group: First and foremost, our priority has to be to reach the quarter-final. Nothing else matters. We’re not looking at the other team – we just want to claim the three points against Russia. Then we’ll look ahead.
... a concrete starting XI: We’re in the fortunate situation of having a squad of 23 fantastic players. I think that it’s really important to have your regulars – it’s understandable for one or two players to come in during a tournament of this length. The longer the tournament goes on, the more important it is to have a balanced squad.
... opponents Russia: It’ll be a difficult game similar to the one against Italy. Everyone who comes up against Germany is looking to give their all, and the Russians will be no different, because they still have a chance to progress further in the tournament. We’ll focus on being in the zone, winning the tackles, and also work on our finishing in training.
Josephine Henning on...
... the game against Italy: I think that we did well overall. We’ll analyse the game and look to take steps in the right direction.
... Italy’s goal: I couldn’t sleep and was in the lobby – and someone was on their laptop so I could have another look at it. We’re there – Tini (Kristin Demann) goes out wide for a foot-race down the flank, but can’t quite get there. Babs (Babett Peter) is in the middle marking her opponent, who does a superb job of getting in front of her, timing it perfectly. I was also trying to make it to the near post, but we have to do more overall. I must say though, that it was a very good goal.
... her goal: It’s nice to be able to help out the team. I took a gamble on the goalkeeper spilling the ball, but didn’t know for sure. I just thought: don’t mess it up.
... their first goal from open play: I think that now we’ve got our first that more will come. It’s simply a question of perseverance – we’ve got what it takes.
