The Germany national team are heading off to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand on Tuesday evening, with VfL defender Kathrin Hendrich one of ten She-Wolves players named in Martina Voss-Tecklenburg’s squad. Before departing for the tournament, Hendrich reveals the lessons learned during preparations and why she feels at home on the road.
Kathrin Hendrich, what’s the mood like in the camp on the day of departure?
Kathrin Hendrich: “The nerves and excitement are slowly setting in for me. Since Saturday, the majority of us have been spending time with family and friends to recharge our batteries. We’re taking off from Frankfurt at 11pm on Tuesday evening. I think we’re all itching to finally get going.”
What did you make of the two warm-up camps in Herzogenaurach?
Kathrin: “The preparations themselves went well. We trained a lot – first in small groups, then we worked a lot on team tactics. The friendlies were obviously anything but satisfactory.”
You’re referring to the narrow win over Vietnam and the loss to Zambia. To what extent is that defeat still playing on your minds?
Kathrin: “We’re very annoyed about the defeat. It’s the kind of thing you always dwell on a little bit. On the other hand, sometimes it isn’t a bad thing to identify areas that aren’t going so well just yet. That’s why games like that can act as a valuable wake-up call. We’ll thoroughly analyse the bits that didn’t go well one more time and learn from them. We also know now more than ever what awaits us at the World Cup.”
You’re one of ten Wolfsburg players who are travelling to the World Cup with Germany. What’s it like being part of the national team with so many club colleagues?
Kathrin: “In the national team we pretty much all know one another from the youth teams, or because we’ve already played together at club level. That doesn’t mean the other players are strangers, but things are obviously more familiar with club colleagues. You feel like you’re at home, even though you’re on the road. That definitely helps, particularly because we all get on really well.”
