Meret Ossenkopp: "That's exactly what I wanted"

Meret, you've now got your first weeks in Dortmund under your belt. You've joined from a club where you have played in five of the last seven years. How has this switch been for you?
The first weeks have certainly been very exciting and a big adjustment. A new team, new surroundings. You first need to get used to it and find your feet. But I've settled in well by this point and also feel very comfortable here in Dortmund.

What's been the biggest adjustment?
I would actually say the training. It's been shorter, but more intensive. We've also trained more. Then there's the fundamental fact that Dortmund is simply a big city compared to Buxtehude. That was actually very unfamiliar. When you move from a small place to such a huge city, you do need a bit more time in order to get your bearings. But I've managed that pretty well by now.

Even if the sessions have been more intensive and the adjustments have been significant for you, have you found your feet in sporting terms?
Yes, absolutely. I of course noticed from the beginning that the level is different in comparison with my former club. But that's exactly what I wanted. I wanted to be training at an even higher intensity and level. I have now settled into it well.

In Lisa Antl, you came here along with one of your team-mates from Buxtehude. You're close friends and the team spirit generally is very strong too. Did that make it easier to settle in in the first weeks?
Absolutely. The team-mates have made it super easy for me to come in and feel comfortable. We're a very homogenous team, everyone gets on well with everyone. And yes, we have done a lot of things in this beginning period. It's naturally been nice for me to have Lisa, a person whom I know, so that I'm not starting from scratch somewhere completely alone. But I actually haven't done more with her than with the others, as we've simply been away so much with the team. I also feel very comfortable in the team here.

What was your highlight of pre-season?
That's difficult to say. I think the entire pre-season was something special for me, because we did a lot together. I found the training camp in Denmark very cool and apart from that I remember it being extremely varied too. It's actually difficult to narrow it down to one activity or one highlight now.

So you weren't at all familiar with doing so many different things?
No, I wasn't actually. Perhaps that was also a bit because of the corona pandemic over the last two years. I was more used to the fact that you of course train as a team, but not that you are away so much. But I thought it was very, very cool and important in terms of team building to spend the weekend together or be away for a longer period and go to different places.

From a sporting perspective, you picked up three wins from your opening three matches. The win in Neckarsulm definitely stands out. How do you assess your start to the season?
I think we've definitely started the season well and that it's gone the way we'd envisaged. All in all, we can be satisfied and I think we can take a lot of self-belief from the game against Neckarsulm to help us be successful in our next matches and then take a feeling of positivity into the European Championship break.

How satisfied are you with your personal performances in the first games?
I'm definitely satisfied. I was naturally pleased to get a lot of playing time even at the beginning and I'd of course like to assume more responsibility in the team in the future and continue to contribute my strengths to our game.

There's a break now too, international fixtures are coming up. But the rest of the team is continuing to train normally in Dortmund. What does a week of training look like when you're not with the national team and a few players are not available either?
You do notice a significant difference. First of all, the squad that you're training with is of course very small. We're increasingly working in the gym and individually, rather than with the entire team. That's how a training week like this is different.

After the break, you have a home game in the league against Oldenburg and then a trip to Berlin in the cup, before you go away to Buxtehude. How do you view the schedule?
We're the favourites for these three games and we should also live up to this role. And yes, I think that if we can get positive results in those matches, that will also give us a boost for the second half of the first half-season. That would also be very important for us as a team and for our heads.