The She-Wolves are back in Wolfsburg, having landed safe and sound at Braunschweig airport on Saturday afternoon. Given the intensity of the camp in Portugal, the players now have two days off to recover before resuming training at Elsterweg.
The team’s next friendly is scheduled for Saturday 25 January (kick-off 14:00 CET) against Swedish side BK Häcken at the AOK Stadion. In this interview, Tommy Stroot gives his assessment of the training camp and looks ahead to the rest of his side’s winter preparations.
Tommy Stroot, the training camp is over. How would you sum it up?
Tommy Stroot: “From my point of view it was probably the best training camp I’ve experienced to date. In the sense of the overall programme, that we had almost the entire squad available and that we completed every session together. A lot of players have taken the right steps over the past few days. We spent a lot of time on the pitch and also had the friendly against Twente. That was a lot of fun. I’m pleased overall.”
What was the atmosphere like in the squad, both on and off the pitch?
Stroot: “I had the impression that everyone was full of joy. The players went into every day of training here with the right attitude. They didn’t know what would happen at the team event, so when they found out that they would be go-karting there was a lot of energy and happiness in the air. In that respect, there was no shortage of fun. It was the same on the pitch too. That's why I can only praise the group because the team spirit here really was unique at all times, on and off the pitch.”
What still needs to be done back in Wolfsburg?
Stroot: “It’s important that we keep pushing ourselves. We’ve done a lot of work on our attacking play so far, so in the next few weeks there are some defensive things we want to work on. So we’ve still got some things to do before the league resumes, but that’s perfectly normal. We’re not yet where we need to be. Having said that, we’ve taken the right steps here, and done so at a pace that we really liked.”
You will play BK Häcken in front of your own fans at the AOK Stadion in one week. Presumably you’re already looking forward to the game?
Stroot: “Absolutely. I’m looking forward to our first training session back in Wolfsburg, even if the temperature will be rather different. We’re looking forward to being back in familiar surroundings and being in touch with our fans again at the friendly. I think that sense of closeness is something that always sets us apart.”
