The long break is over. How great is the joy of finally being able to get started again?
Gigantic big. The girls are itching to finally be able to play again.
The home game against Straubing on Saturday marks the start of a mammoth program. A total of six games in January, followed by February with the Bundesliga, Champions League and the cup final. Is the team ready for this tough program?
To be honest, the team is pretty tired right now. After the long break, however, we currently need a lot of training and the scope of training as such is very high. We know the coming weeks can be very bumpy, but our training plan is designed for the long term. We want to be on top of things by February at the latest, when the league, the Champions League and the cup final are all about the sausage.
At the beginning of December, your team had to go into quarantine for the second time. What does that do to a team?
When we found out about the positive test results and the associated renewed quarantine, we all felt at first as if the ground had been torn from under our feet. We had just played great games in the Champions League in Italy and were in a really good mood. And then that. We left the girls alone for a weekend and then started with the video training.
What happened then?
Since December 20th we could finally train again in the hall. The motivation and cheerfulness in the group was then back again. Unfortunately, I myself had to go to the 4th Stay in quarantine on January 1st, and then I let myself be connected to various training sessions via video. I’ve been working with my co-trainers and athletic trainers for years, so I know that I can fully rely on them.
During the long break you could also think about the past sporting year 2020? What was your conclusion?
Even if the last season was canceled prematurely, 2020 was basically a very successful one. We were first in the table at the time and had a great chance of becoming German champions. Of course, you mourn this chance a bit afterwards, but when you put everything into perspective that happened not only in Germany but all over the world, you think about it completely differently. In the summer we had a major change in personnel and started the new season with a very young team.
How satisfied are you with the way the season has gone so far?
If someone had predicted before the season what we have achieved with this team so far, I would have signed immediately. We won the Supercup, are in the cup final, played outstanding games in the Champions League and are doing well in the league. We are currently fourth in the table, but with the catch-up games in front of my chest, I see ourselves in the top three. I’m surprised how quickly the team came together. We brought in quite a few players from small clubs who immediately had to take on great responsibility on the field. It has worked really well so far, even if there have been a few problems and point losses here and there. But we took that into account because we tried something in a few games.
What are your goals for the rest of the season?
We want to be among the top 3 in the league by the end of the second half of the season so that we can play for the championship in the playoffs if possible. In the Champions League, making it to the quarter-finals would be something special, and if you are in the cup final, you naturally dream of winning it.
Who are the biggest competitors in the battle for the championship?
The two first-placed Stuttgart and Dresden are already superior to our team in terms of experience, you have to be very clear. But we have already shown in the cup, among other things, that we can beat teams like Dresden.
How does it look in terms of personnel?
All players are available to us. Marie Schölzel, who was injured for several weeks recently, is back in training and also in the squad for the upcoming games.
How much do you miss the audience, who play an important role in Schwerin?
Even if you’ve got used to the ghost games by now, we really miss our audience. I really hope that they will be able to go back into the hall soon. Especially after our second quarantine, we as a team are almost living in a kind of bubble and have completely minimized our contacts. It’s a shame for our fans, we really lack contact with them.
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