EM “very big topic” for DFB captain Alexandra Popp

Wolfsburg – 2016 Olympic gold hung around Alexandra Popp’s neck. In 2019, as captain of the German national soccer team, she experienced the bitter World Cup quarter-final defeat against Sweden.

After a mandatory break of more than six months, the 30-year-old is expected back on the pitch by VfL Wolfsburg shortly – in time for the European Championships in England in July?

“I see it all very optimistically and very positively. I’m already at a pretty good level and still have a good six months to be 100 percent absolutely fit – in the best case scenario, of course, before that,” said the two-time German “Soccer Player of the Year” on Wednesday about her chances at the European Championship. “Basically, I’m just happy to be healthy.”

Soon comeback in the Bundesliga

Popp has not played a game since May 2021 due to a cartilage tear on his kneecap. At the beginning of December, the 111-time select player returned to team training. She could make her Bundesliga comeback in the catch-up game for Wolfsburg on January 29 at Turbine Potsdam. She is still “a bit in the process of finding stress, but basically I feel very good,” said the six-time German champion.

“We are happy that Poppi is back on the pitch after her serious injury. We have always said that she should take her time and not put herself under pressure – that also applies now, »said national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg of the German Press Agency. “As a player and as a personality, she is extremely important to our team on and off the pitch. Of course we’re keeping our fingers crossed that everything goes according to plan.”

Theoretically, Popp could already return to the national team at the four-nation tournament in England in February. There, the DFB selection will meet strong Spain, Olympic champions Canada and the hosts. These games should provide information about where Germany stands internationally after the missed summer games in Tokyo. Spain, Denmark and Finland are also the preliminary round opponents at the European Championships in England in July.

EM participation as a big goal

Popp missed the 2013 and 2016 European Championships due to injury: England would be her first European Championship. «The EM is a very big topic for me. It was clear, I accept this challenge. It’s still on my vita, it’s a goal for me, »said the versatile model player. “But first of all, VfL Wolfsburg is in focus.” As captain, she was always very close to the teams during her injury break, both in the DFB selection and at VfL.

“I don’t have the feeling that I lost my standing in the team in the seven months that I wasn’t on the pitch,” Popp said of her situation in Wolfsburg, adding with a smile: “We’re a very good squad. It doesn’t automatically mean that I’ll be back in the starting XI immediately if I can walk three meters on the pitch.”

© dpa-infocom, dpa:220119-99-769574/4