News (engl.)

The Germany Women’s team are preparing for the first of two home internationals against top opposition in October. Head coach Christian Wück and goalkeeper Ena Mahmutovic spoke to the media ahead of Friday’s game against Australia in Karlsruhe (20:30 CEST), discussing the recent withdrawals and what they hope to get out of the two matches.

Christian Wück on...

...his expectations for the games: We’re going to be tested. These two games against both of the Asian Cup finalists are exactly what we need. They give us the chance to develop further at the very highest level and will also give us an idea of what we might face at the World Cup. There will be positives and negatives for us to take from both games, and that will be important.

...his impressions of the squad so far: It’s no secret that things haven’t gone exactly as we would have hoped. We’ve called up a number of players who aren’t currently regular starters at club level, so it’s important that they come in and perform well for us too. Then we’ve had the injuries on top of that. Those are all things that will test us. But there’s a lot of quality in this squad and it’s a very young team. It’ll be interesting to see how they get on against an experienced Australia side. I’m positive about it.

...possible rotation: We want to give most of the squad some playing time. We’ve also got players coming back in, such as Cora Zicai. Nicole Anyomi hasn’t been getting many minutes in England recently, and we’re planning to use her through the middle. It’s still difficult to say exactly how much game time everyone will get. There are a few positions where we’re hoping to learn a lot from these matches. It’s important that the players take their chance. This isn’t an audition for the World Cup, but of course we’ll be looking closely at what we see – how they play in and out of possession, which players work well together and how they cope under pressure against opposition of this quality.

...the Nations League and the team’s development: We can’t afford to lose sight of the Nations League. It gives us the chance to qualify for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. This period gives us an opportunity to see where we are against strong opposition, but the main thing is that we keep developing. We don’t just want to stay at our current level, we want to raise it. We want to improve the finer details of our game, both in attack and in defence. If we manage that, we’ll have a successful Nations League campaign and hopefully qualify for the Olympics. It would also put us in a good position going into the World Cup. It all goes hand in hand. We can’t afford to waste a single game or training camp, which is why these next matches are so important for us.

...first-time call-up Lisa Baum: Lisa settled in straight away. That’s one of the big strengths of this group – new players are welcomed quickly and find their place straight away. Her performances at club level have put her on our radar, and now she has the chance to show that she can compete at this level.

Ena Mahmutovic on...

...playing against Australia: Playing for your country is always special, especially against a team from another continent. It’ll only be my third cap. I hope I can play well and keep a clean sheet. We’re all really looking forward to it now and can’t wait to get going.

...the difference between playing for Bayern and Germany: I don’t do anything differently from when I play for Bayern. That would be strange. I prepare exactly as I normally would. At the end of the day, it’s another game of football. Of course, playing for Germany makes it special, but I don’t change any of my routines. That gives me the best chance of playing well.

...Ann-Katrin Berger: She’s incredibly laid-back. The calmness she has on the pitch is something I really admire. I’ve already picked up a few tips from her. She’s always thinking about us younger goalkeepers as well, and that just comes naturally to her. We’re really grateful to have the chance to train and play alongside her.

...the progress she has made: The more games you play, the more experienced you become. That’s only natural. Looking back at my debut, I was probably a bit naïve. But you learn from experiences like playing for Bayern in a Champions League semi-final in front of 60,000 people at Camp Nou with a place in the final on the line.