VfL Women made a big statement with their 9-1 win over Glasgow City FC in the UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-finals, a result that sent out a clear signal to their rivals. Now the She-Wolves go up against FC Barcelona in the semi-finals (Tuesday 25 August, kick-off 20:00 CEST), and at the pre-match press conference, head coach Stephan Lerch spoke about…
…team news: “As things stand before the final training session, everyone’s fit. I think we’ve used the time very well and have been able to recover. You can really feel the sense of tension and excitement about tomorrow’s game.”
…the strength of the opposition: “Barcelona are a technically gifted side who are strong in every position. Barca play a dominant, possession-based style of football, so it will be intriguing to see who ends up having more possession. Whoever has the ball is also capable of scoring a goal at any time. You also have to highlight their attack, particularly the quartet of [Asisat] Oshoala, [Lieke] Martens, [Jennifer] Hermoso and [Caroline Graham] Hansen. That is top-quality in Europe.”
…their own approach: “As well as wanting to have possession, we need to work very well in defence, stay tight and maintain our shape. It’s important we help each other out and don’t allow the Barcelona attack to flourish. We won’t be able to completely shut them out, but together we want to keep them under control. The aim must be to constantly trouble the opposition and keep them busy.”
…former VfL player Caroline Graham Hansen: “I think Caro’s had a very good season in Barcelona. She’s become an important player there and has been involved in a lot of goals, even though she’s been out injured for some of the time. We know all too well that Caro is a player who can make the difference.”
