Pohlers retains faith in Potsdam

Never write off 1. FFC Potsdam. That is the message from striker Conny Pohlers despite a 4-0 home defeat in the UEFA Women's Cup final first leg against 1. FFC Frankfurt. The defending champions are chasing a treble, having already tasted Bundesliga and German Cup success, and Pohlers insisted that the dream is still alive.

'Anything is possible'
"Of course we are still hopeful. It is not over yet and we still have a chance to turn it around," said Pohlers, who has rattled in 35 league goals this term. "Last month we scored six goals in Frankfurt and a couple of seasons ago we got seven against them so anything is possible - we still have the ability to win the tie."

'We were bad'
The 6-2 win on 15 April proved a decisive moment in the German title race, and a similar result on Saturday would see Potsdam complete a sensational turnaround on away goals. But after a listless display at the Karl-Liebknecht-Stadion, Pohlers knows they must improve dramatically. "We were just bad," she said. "We have to get our legs back. I think mentally and physically we were very tired after playing a big game to decide the league on Wednesday. But I don't want to make excuses. Frankfurt have also played a lot of games and they were better than us on the day."

Hectic schedule
This tiredness comes at the climax of an epic season comprising 22 league games, five domestic cup encounters and another nine in the UEFA Women's Cup. The result has been a large number of 'English weeks', which see teams play at the weekend and again in midweek. When this is combined with international matches along with work and studying commitments the load, according to Pohlers, becomes "too much".

Cup berth
If Frankfurt's players seemed half a step sharper than their hosts, it might be because their place in next season's UEFA Women's Cup hinges on the tie's outcome. While Potsdam already have a berth, their opponents can only qualify as defending champions. Pohlers admits being impressed with the passion and commitment of their performance.

Technical superiority
"It is certainly the best I have seen them play this season. We beat them on three previous occasions, including the German Cup final, but they had to win at our place. They want to be in the UEFA Women's Cup next year, and we are already in it as Bundesliga winners, so they have no option but to win and they played really well," said the 27-year-old. "They have always had better players technically, but we have better spirit and teamwork. On Saturday they added that extra aspect to their game and you saw what happened."

Lingor stunner
Frankfurt's technical ability was encapsulated in the opening goal on six minutes, a picture perfect free-kick from Renate Lingor that swerved over the wall and fizzed in off the left-hand post from 22 metres. Galling as it was, even Pohlers could appreciate the brilliance of her German international colleague's effort.

Friendly rivalry
"It was superb, absolutely perfect. We know that she is capable of scoring from this kind of position and so we talked before the game about not giving away free-kicks in these dangerous positions, but sometimes it's hard to avoid in the heat of a game," she said. "I am pleased for Renate. We are friends with Frankfurt off the pitch, but obviously we are big rivals on it." That rivalry continues on Saturday as Potsdam attempt to pull off the most dramatic comeback in UEFA Women's Cup history.