Even when things get stressful before and during tournaments, Martina Voss-Tecklenburg sticks to her ritual: she goes to the pool before the day really begins.
“No one is up as early as I swim.” The national coach of the German soccer team usually gets up at 6.15 a.m. and is then in the water at 6.30 a.m. The days at the training camp in Herzogenaurach are long and sunny. Before the departure of the German footballers for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand (July 20th to August 20th), the 55-year-old spoke in an interview with the German Press Agency about the World Cup prospects, their players and the crisis among German men.
Question: You must have read the headlines: After the debacles of the German men at the World Cup and the under-21s at the European Championships, it is now up to the women to save the honor of the football nation. Can you do this?
Martina Voss-Tecklenburg: First of all, I didn’t read it. Secondly, we don’t see ourselves in this role either, we have our own claim. We want to play a great World Cup and don’t want to be compared to the men. We only look and focus on ourselves. Of course it would be much, much nicer for me as a DFB employee if we were successful together on many levels. You also know: I’m not a black and white thinker. The U17 boys have become European champions, that’s not discussed enough for me. I’m always confident. We want to deliver our performance – regardless of what is happening in the immediate vicinity.
What tips did you get from Hansi Flick? Or did you decline with thanks?
We are always in professional exchange, that will not change. On the contrary: we try to learn and grow from and with each other. This is independent of specific results. Especially when things aren’t going well, it’s helpful to ask how you can deal with certain things. But this happens mutually.
Most recently against Vietnam, but also before that against Brazil, for example, there was still a lot of crunching. Nevertheless, the world title is the goal – what makes you so optimistic?
I would put it a little differently. It is absolutely right that we set ourselves high goals and that is the only thing that makes sense to us. If we weren’t convinced that we had the potential and the quality to play in this title, then we wouldn’t have declared the goal. I think it’s great that the players carry this belief within themselves. It also crunched and hooked. However, we can classify it quite well and it all has good reasons. I don’t have to repeat it either. But we also know what we can do, what we want, where our path can lead. We realize that a lot of things have to come together in the end.
What happens to the boom in German women’s football if your team is knocked out of the tournament against Brazil or France in the round of 16?
If we can walk off the pitch at the end of the game, no matter what the game, and say: we gave it our all, then you have to evaluate the whole thing. So I wouldn’t make this whole development dependent on a specific moment. We didn’t win the final at the European Championship either. Nevertheless, our hearts flew to us and you saw the overall context of this achievement. That’s why I’m relaxed about it.
“Players continue to grow”
Eight players from the starting XI that lost 2-1 in the 2019 World Cup quarterfinals against Sweden could start again in Australia. Your World Cup framework is also almost identical to that of the European Championship in England last year. Is there too little?
No not at all. It just means that we have a good axis, a certain continuity and that players have continued to grow in personality. Let’s take a Lena Oberdorf, a Klara Bühl, a Giulia Gwinn, who have a different standing today. We see potential for development, we have chosen certain players to promote exactly that. I don’t think we have to say in Germany that we have youth problems because we’ve established a lot of young players in recent years. I can still name Jule Brand, Nicole Anyomi. I wouldn’t even put it down to age. You can see how a Merle Frohms has developed. I’m happy when 28, 29 or 30-year-olds develop further. That’s always the case with us. Even older players like Marina Hegering and Svenja Huth are still learning. That’s the cool thing about this team, nobody says: I already know, I can do it, I’ve seen it all.
What does the national player of the future have to bring with her in this sport, which is developing rapidly?
That’s an interesting question that I can’t even answer right now. I’ve been around for so long, but even I was a bit surprised by this development – in a positive way. At a World Cup, you’re always surprised at what’s possible with other teams. That’s a great sign. Above all, it is the future topic of mental health, because more is happening in the environment thanks to greater visibility. You have more pressure, more media pressure, but you mustn’t get into a situation where you feel overwhelmed. For example, the topic of social media is getting bigger and bigger. Many national players have done it themselves so far. Now they need support from their advisors because otherwise it’s an overload.
Alexandra Popp has been the big star in the team since her appearances at the European Championships. How do the other players deal with it?
This is not an issue for us at all. We don’t feel that way at all, because many others have also developed further. There is no envy, but it is clear to everyone that strikers are often more in focus. Defensive players also rarely become world footballers. We are just happy about the whole development that we are pushing at the moment. About being role models for many girls and boys who find their way to football.
Personal details: Martina Voss-Tecklenburg was born in Duisburg and lives in Straelen with her husband, entrepreneur Hermann Tecklenburg. From a previous relationship she has the adult daughter Dina, who gave birth to daughter Lima last year and thus made the national soccer coach a grandmother. Voss-Tecklenburg played 125 international matches for the DFB women and was European champion four times and vice world champion once. She once played for TSV Siegen and FCR 2001 Duisburg. She has been the trainer of the German national team since 2018 and was previously responsible for the selection of Switzerland. Her contract with the DFB runs until 2025.
