This season, 6 former players of the German Championship play in the MHSC jersey. At the time of the trip to Lyon in the league this Sunday (12:45), Lisa Schmitz, Johanna Elsig, Iva Landeka, Sarah Puntigam, Dominika Skorvankova and Lena Petermann, evoke the common points between the differences between the Bundesliga and D1 Arkema.
A few years ago, Olympique Lyonnais were the first team to bet on German players from the Bundesliga including WeiB, Simon and of course the international playmaker, Dzsenifer Marozsan, while the MHSC successfully scanned the market. Swedish and notably recruited Linda Sembrant, Sofia Jakobsson and Stina Blackstenius. This Sunday, however, it is on the Montpellier side that we will find the former players who have played in the German championship. They are 6 in total and have agreed to discuss this meeting through the differences and similarities between these two competitions.
MORE TACTICAL IN GERMANY
Our 6 witnesses agree on one thing: on the tactical aspect, the advantage is clearly in favor of the Bundesliga: “Tactically it seems to me more settled in Germany”, explains Lisa Schmitz, echoed by Iva Landeka: “This is the biggest difference between the two championships, but it is also close to the culture of the country, explains the captain of the Croatian national team, who notably played in Jena. People are very disciplined and they are also on the pitch, there is a lot of organization and it shows in the way of playing football there. Before talking about individuality, we talk a lot about the team. “
This inevitably leads to differences in terms of the game as explained by Dominika Škorvánková, who is living her 2e Montpellier season after having lived the 3 previous ones at Bayern Munich: “In Germany, we have a more strategic vision of the game. In France, this is less the case but there are also more opportunities created, and that is why the D1 Arkema is a pleasant championship for the public, she explains. Here, the players have a little more freedom but I appreciate the German side more in the sense that everyone knew what they had to do and what their neighbor had to do. When you’re a midfielder like me, in France you sometimes see several players arriving at the same time who come to your zone and you have to know how to control them, which is not necessarily the case in Germany. “ This freedom also marks Johanne Elsig, who arrived from Potsdam this summer: “In Germany, the game is much more structured tactically, we have a starting plan and we stick to it whereas here there is a lot more room for instinct. It ties in with being with several attackers in your area and it requires a lot of communication with your teammates so as not to be caught in the back. “ If the French attackers therefore have more tactical freedom, this is not necessarily the case for everyone: “We have the impression that coaches give more opportunity to go beyond function or take up space when we feel that there is an opening, but this is perhaps more the case for an attacker or an attacking midfielder, explains Iva Landeka. In my position as a defensive midfielder, it is a little less the case because you have to be careful to maintain a certain team balance; so I will say it depends on the position you hold. I also have the impression that in France we play more with individual marking, where zone defense is more regularly used in Germany ” Regarding the offensive aspect, Lena Petermann also recognizes that as an attacker, she has a little more space in France “The difference is not huge but it exists”, recognizes the n ° 22 Montpellier.
FRANCE ADVANTAGE FOR PHYSICAL AND TECHNICAL ASPECTS
A player with great technical accuracy and a particularly sharp vision of the game, Iva Landeka recognizes that “Technically, France has the advantage. I would also say that here the players tend to play a little more when they have the ball, than when they don’t, it’s also something to which you have to adapt. The physical aspect also seems to me to have the advantage here because there are a lot of fast and powerful players. ” A feeling shared by Johanna Elsig: “When you are a defender, this speed and this power of the French attackers is quite striking. You must always remain vigilant not to be caught in the back. Afterwards, even if there are differences, D1 Arkema and Bundesliga are very similar. It’s pretty much the same football. “
CHAMPIONSHIPS AT EQUIVALENT LEVELS
If the German championship has long been considered the best in Europe, the gap with its European neighbors seems to be narrowing: “A few years ago, the German championship was the best in Europe but I think that has changed a bit, explains Austrian international Sarah Puntigam, who arrived at Bayern Munich at the age of 17 before spending 3 years there and then continuing 4 seasons in Freiburg, where she also played alongside Lena Petermann: “There is a tightening with the English, French, but also Spanish leagues. These are championships that have seen a lot of progress. Everything is tightening up at the European level. It is also something very interesting for the players because it allows them to be able to go and discover other championships and other countries. “
The structure of the 2 championships (of 12 teams each), is more and more similar: “In both cases, 2 teams stand out in front: Lyon and Paris in France, Wolfsburg and Bayern in Germany, expleads goalkeeper Lisa Schmitz, passed through Cologne, Leverkusen and Potsdam. When I arrived in France, I thought there were huge differences between the top teams and the bottom team, but that’s not the case. I am surprised to see that the level is tightening. ” A feeling shared by Sarah Puntigam: “When I played in Germany surprises were rare but maybe that has changed today. What I’m sure is that I’m living my 4th year here and the D1 is getting tighter and tighter. Anyone Can Win Against Anyone. Behind Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich, 3 or 4 teams that swap the rest of the places in the top 6 and can even beat the big 2 from time to time. ” On this point of view too, the championships are therefore very similar …
THE D1 ARKEMA, NEW ELDORADO?
In recent seasons, as Lisa, Lena, Iva, Dominika, Johanna and Sarah have done, several players in the Bundesliga have chosen to cross the Rhine to join France. Proof of a real trend? : “For me it’s not a league story but a club story, by Dominika Škorvánková. Some French clubs are attractive and that is why they attract foreign players, including some from the Bundesliga. We do not go to a championship but we go to a club above all. It is the project that is proposed by the club that helps you to come; and this is the reason why I chose Montpellier. This is probably also the case for others, including Sarah Däbritz at PSG for example. “” I just think that it comes from the fact that some German players want to see something else, to have an experience abroad and that the French championship is a great opportunity, Johanna Elsig continues. In addition, the French D1 gives the opportunity to evolve in and against great teams. ” If each of our interlocutors recognizes that having compatriots or former teammates is a plus, each assures that it is not this presence in itself but indeed the sporting project that pushed them to join the MHSC. “Here in Montpellier, the project is very interesting and we are evolving in a club where women’s football is promoted and in quality infrastructures, emphasizes Iva Landeka. The fact that there are more German players in France today is more of a global movement in my opinion: Today, the transfer market is more open towards abroad whereas before it was more oriented towards the national market. It creates connections and exchanges. “We must not forget also that French is the second most chosen language in German schools after English, which can undoubtedly push them more quickly towards this championship of France”, concludes Lena Petermann with a broad smile.
PUBLIC SIDE, EQUALITY
As for the atmospheres in the Stadiums, it is equality because our interlocutors could not decide: “In Potsdam, the support was very strong because the club is exclusively female and has a great history. The stadium is often well stocked, tells Johanna Elsig. Here, it is necessarily different since the men’s team is a little bit at the head of the gondola, but the public is also present at our matches, we can hear our supporters. “” Here, the supporters are perhaps a little less numerous than in Germany but they make more noise, ajoute Sarah Puntigam. It is very good to support us ”
TRAVEL TO LYON SUNDAY
This will not surprise anyone but each of our interlocutors believes that “Lyon is the best team in Europe, even in the world” and “That a very difficult match” awaits the Montpelliéraines this Sunday (12:45 between Rhône and Saône) as part of the 6e day of D1 Arkema: “I’m looking forward to this match against Lyon with a lot of curiosity, explique Dominika Škorvánková. Afterwards, beyond Lyon, it is our service that will be important. We will have to play a big game and I admit that I would have preferred to play right away to evacuate the frustration of our loss against Fleury, rather than wait 15 days with this week of truce in the middle. The best after a disappointment is to play straight away. “ In any case, the absences of Le Sommer Maroszan and Bouhaddi, all three loaned to Ol Reign, the American franchise of OL, will not make this match any easier: “It is true that they are no longer there, but Lyon remains Lyon, that is to say a top club with top players and we should not ask ourselves if they are more or less strong than last year , esteem Iva Landeka. We just have to play the best game possible because we know it will be a tough game, but in one game…. Their team has been rejuvenated, but so has ours. It will probably take a little while for us to be well adjusted, but I can feel a good connection between the players and the coach. He gives us confidence and we work hard to try to improve. “” We are partly disappointed with our start, but the season is still long, conclut Dominika Škorvánková. We work a lot every day in training and I really hope that our work will pay off ”
If they admit to joking sometimes in German in the locker room, we 6 former Bundesliga boarders know very well that, on Sunday, it will no longer be a question of joking….
Remember, Frankfurt
We often forget it, but the MHSC has another strong link with Germany, that of having been the first French women’s team to win against a German opponent: It was in the semi-final first leg of the Women’s Champions League 2006 when Patrice Lair’s players won 1-0 in Frankfurt thanks to a goal from Ludivine Diguelman. For the anecdote, the current OL coach, Sonia Bompastor (captain) and her assistant Camille Abily both wore the pailladin jersey that evening. Suspended on the return (photo above / Hoda Lattaf), they had witnessed, powerless, the 3-2 defeat of Montpellier at home and therefore their elimination. This has not been the case since this summer but, at the time, the away goal still counted double in the event of a tie. Unfortunately for the MHSC …
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