Becky Sauerbrunn Quotes

Not everything is seen that happens on the pitch - the teammate in a good position, where it might get dangerous, how a situation develops.

Playing me in different positions helped me to get in the head of the others players: to know what they're thinking, where and how they are going to move.

I would always treat my attacking game as the more natural part. With defence, you have to get yourself in positions to understand the game and understand situations and that might not be as natural a thing.

It does not matter to me. I can play from the left, the right, or attack through the middle.

When we lose the ball, I don't want to win it back directly. I act smarter now, have better anticipation, and also start earlier when somebody tries to lob the ball over me.

When I watch kids play basketball, they don't know how to think the game. They know what it should look like, but they don't know why.

When you play against dirty players or very tough players, it's easy to escape because you know what they're going to do. But when the player is tough but intelligent, it's much more difficult.

It's less about the physical training, in the end, than it is about the mental preparation: boxing is a chess game. You have to be skilled enough and have trained hard enough to know how many different ways you can counterattack in any situation, at any moment.

Rather than opera, football is more like ballet or a chess game. You can really see it in a team like Arsenal, especially when Dennis Bergkamp was playing. He seemed to be able to read the game like a chessboard and knew where a player would be several seconds later and put the ball there for him.

Playing in midfield is a different ball game. You have to be on the half-turn all the time, have a different picture in your head of what is behind you and in front of you. Playing at right-back is different again.

If I'm playing higher up the pitch, it's important I don't get carried away and start dropping too deep and I stay in my position.

Busquets reads everything. Players like Busquets or Xabi Alonso in midfield have the capacity to read the whole game.

Your mind is just constantly moving, thinking of different scenarios, not only on your team but their team too, trying to figure out things they are doing.

I think I'm quite a clever player and that I realise there are times when I can be offensive but others when I must be more compact and work for the team, because that is what matters.

Van Gaal was always very intensive with his tactics. You had to work more with your head than your legs.

Players have to adapt nowadays, and if you have a good football brain, if you can read the game, you can manage it.

When I am on the pitch, I play on intuition, but I think a lot about the game as well.

You play in different situations and conditions, and you have to come up with new solutions for the problems. It has made me a more rounded player, who can handle different tactics and positions.

You have to create a habit of finding the right positions and knowing where the ball's going to bounce to.

I see the game differently than some guys. I'm always reading the next move.

I understand now the different games and the different approaches that you need to take at different times, with different styles of play.

A keeper has to adjust his game to the team. If the team moves further up, he has to do the same. It's nothing I've invented.

It is up to me to adapt and to continue to surprise with my positioning, the timing of my runs, the trajectories, when I call for the ball.

To be useful in defence, to win back the ball, you don't always have to go sliding into the tackle. It's also about your positioning; sometimes all you have to do is take a step back.

Boxing is like chess. You encourage your opponent to make mistakes so you can capitalise on it. People think you get in the ring and see the red mist, but it's not about aggression. Avoiding getting knocked out is tactical.