Latest news with #GermanyVenue
BBC News
02-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'You can change your mindset' - Scotland's Watson on year of recovery
Women's Nations League A: Scotland v GermanyVenue: Tannadice Park, Dundee Date: Friday, 4 April Kick-off: 19:35 BSTCoverage: Watch on BBC Alba & iPlayer, listen on BBC Radio Scotland Extra & Sounds, live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & app "Scars tell you where you've been, not where you're going."The words of 19-year-old Emma Watson reveal a very mature head on relatively young shoulders. She was even younger - just 17 - when her world appeared to fall apart.A month after clinching a dream move to Manchester United from Rangers, she ruptured the ligaments in her right knee in a training session with Scotland. It was not just a big match with England she missed. Anterior cruciate ligament injuries mean you're out for a past six months, however, have helped put a smile back on her face. Her delayed debut for the Red Devils happened against Everton late last year. The Toffees were so impressed, they signed her on loan in goal-scoring midfielder is also now back in the Scotland fold, licking her lips at the prospect of two cracks at Germany, the third best team in the world, in the Nations League. Watson is about to find out if she has come through her injury a better player. What she harbours no doubts about is how much stronger the ordeal has made her as a person."At the time, I was absolutely devastated," she told BBC Scotland. "I thought that was it for me. That my world was ending. But you can quickly change your mindset and change the narrative of your story. I'm a big believer that scars tell you where you've been, not where you're going."It was definitely a blip in my career, but at the same time, I don't think it was time lost. In the 12 months I had off the pitch in the gym rehabilitating, I really worked on my mental side. I think I've become a lot more resilient and developed stronger physically."So I think there are definitely a lot of positives to take from the experience and a lot of learnings. As bad as it was, I don't think I would change the experience. You have to go through everything in life and that was an obstacle I had to deal with. "Now that I'm back from that, it's about taking the learnings from that, getting back playing, trying to work those levels back up again and just continue my story."The scar is still there, visible right down the middle of her right knee. A symbol of her successful struggle with adversity."I look at it some days and you think back and it makes you a bit sad about what you've been through," she explained."But it's a warrior wound and I'm very proud of the hard work that I've put in to get myself back playing football, because it's not a guarantee. "I have to be the one in the gym every day doing the work, so I'm just very grateful that I was surrounded by such supportive people at United - the physios, the staff, the players. I wouldn't have done it without them."Even the support from the Scotland national team, like the psychologists, working with them and having people to talk to was massive. I'm happy that I'm back now. " Not just back but back in the Scotland squad. She made quite the impression before her injury, scoring three international goals as a 17-year-old in her first four matches for her country. Perhaps no surprise, given she was playing - and scoring - for Rangers as a 15-year-old. However, it was the national colours, not club affiliations, that she dreamt about as she grew up in Edinburgh as a child."One of my earliest dreams was to play for Scotland," she said."I don't really remember thinking I wanted to play for this club or that club. It was more, 'I want to play for the Scotland national team one day'. "As a young girl, I used to go to all the games and travel around the country to go see the likes of Claire [Emslie] and Caroline [Weir] when I was younger. I used to sit and watch and say, 'I really hope that's me one day because they're living the dream'."It's massive now that we have all these top players that young girls can look up to and we can go to the games and see. That visibility is massive for getting young girls into sport, getting them into football and hopefully following in their footsteps one day. "Even going to tournaments. I was at the World Cup [in France in 2019] as a young player watching that."It's just an amazing feeling. I can imagine being at a World Cup and hopefully one day I can get to experience that. "It is a hope that will be echoed up and down her country. Scotland have not been to one since 2019 and will not be participating at this year's Euros restored to full fitness and armed with much greater mental fortitude as a result, Watson is convinced good times lie ahead for the national side. She has the "warrior wound" to prove she can overcome adversity. She knows Scotland will need the same fighting spirit when Germany come calling on Friday.
BBC News
01-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Scots can call on 'superpower' v Germany
Uefa Women's Nations League A: Scotland v GermanyVenue: Tannadice Park, Dundee Date: Friday, 4 April Kick-off: 19:35 BSTCoverage: Watch on BBC Alba & iPlayer, listen on BBC Radio Scotland Extra & Sounds, live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & app Sophie Howard believes Scotland's "superpower" will be required if Germany are to be beaten in Friday's Women's Nations League meeting at Leicester City defender, born and raised in Germany to a Scottish mother and an English father, is not just fluent in German but fully versed in the development of the German game at club and international familiarity, as well as the fact the Germans may not know so much about the Scots, could help interim head coach Michael McArdle's side get the better of the team ranked third in the world."I've got an advantage in that I know a lot of the players," Howard explained. "I've seen them for many, many years and I believe they don't know as much about us as we do about them and that can be our superpower on Friday."You always go in wanting to win, why do we play football otherwise? We're fully aware a lot has to go right for us to come out on top."I'm convinced we can perform and compete with Germany, a top nation. We just need to be at our best."Scotland have lost their past three matches to Finland, Austria and The Netherlands and could presumably do with a morale-boosting significant scalp of Germany would certainly fit into that category, although Howard is not getting too preoccupied with results at all cost."What we need is to build internally," she said. "What happens externally with results is sometimes secondary because we need to build on performances to make this sustainable."A one-off result won't solve problems and won't bring back belief. A result can help you but we see every day what we put in and that is more valuable than anything else."
BBC News
31-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Scotland must build on 'progress' against elite Germany
Uefa Women's Nations League A: Scotland v GermanyVenue: Tannadice Park, Dundee Date: Friday, 4 April Kick-off: 19:35 BSTCoverage: Watch on BBC Alba & iPlayer, listen on BBC Radio Scotland Caroline Weir says Scotland must build on the "definite progress" in the Nations League amid a "transitional period" for the manager-less national face a double header against Germany, ranked third in the world, after a 1-0 defeat in Austria and a 2-1 home loss to the Netherlands in their opening were both under the stewardship of interim boss Michael McArdle as the Scottish FA continues its search for a new manager after the departure of Pedro Martinez Losa, following the failed bid to qualify for Euro will continue to guide the team for the visit of Germany to Tannadice on Friday, before the return in Wolfsburg the following says "clarity" on who the next manager will be is the "most important thing" but until then she and the rest of the squad must focus on taking on one of the world's best sides."It's two really tough games, but I think they're important for us," Weir told BBC Scotland."They are one of the best teams. I'm interested to see how we do. Off the back of the last camp, that performance against the Netherlands, I think there was definitely some positives to take."We were competitive for most of the match as much as we didn't get any points. "It is a transitional period for sure for the squad, the manager situation and then obviously the change in personnel and the players. "But for us, it's easy. We turn up, we want to be in the best shape possible, prepare the best we can to play an international match." Weir was speaking at the launch of a new film produced by the Scottish FA about her life and career called 'Galactica', which will be published on documents her rise from humble beginnings to playing in Real Madrid's midfield and earning 108 caps for Scotland, including her recent comeback after a year out with a knee injury."It's a little bit surreal to be honest - it's quite strange to see your face on posters and on a big screen," the 29-year-old said."I remember when they were filming in October and they were asking me all these different questions. It was sparking so many memories that I'd just kind of forgotten or just moved on from."It's a nice day for my friends, family and to celebrate the last couple of years and the journey that I've been really fortunate to be on."
