Bayer 04 Women seeking revenge in Essen

The Dutch coach’s impression of his team of late has been positive, especially after last week’s convincing 2-0 derby win at home to Köln. “When you win a derby, the mood is always good, also around the team,” said de Pauw. “You begin the week with a different sort of feeling and have more confidence, also because the way we played was very good.” Another important effect is that “the players are better at taking suggestions for improvement, for example in terms of covering against counter-attacks.”

Now the focus before the three-week break up to the next game against Eintracht Frankfurt is fully on Essen, who are two points and one position behind fifth-placed Leverkusen with 22 points from 16 games. De Pauw has also been thinking about how things are different this time compared to the two previous encounters with this awkward Essen team. “We faced Essen twice straight after an international break and were a bit tired, meaning we lacked accuracy in some situations. They have fewer international players than us and used the time to be on the ball,” the coach said. “In the cup, they surprised us with their formation. This time we’ve had more time to prepare and will be prepared for various variations.”

The way the goals came about in the cup defeat were particularly frustrating for the Dutchman. “We inflicted them on ourselves with our defensive work. This time we’re fresh and want to defend better,” said de Pauw. “The motivation is huge. We absolutely want revenge. A win can give us a positive feeling before the break,” added the 42-year-old, who has a full squad available to him apart from Melissa Friedrich (ankle) and Charlotte Voll (shoulder).