‘Intense days’: defensive leader Kempe upbeat after BVB camp | OneFootball

Frederike Kempe knows how to win titles. The center-back has already celebrated a championship and promotion with Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig. Now, the 29-year-old wants to repeat that feat with Borussia Dortmund.

To get the necessary finishing touch ahead of the upcoming Regionalliga season, the BVB players worked up a sweat during a week-long training camp in Westendorf, Austria. “They were intense days,” Kempe sums up in a club interview. “We trained a lot, worked a lot together, and put in a good test performance against a top-flight side,” she says, recalling the 3-3 draw against Mainz 05.

For Bayer Leverkusen and Leipzig, the Black and Yellows’ defensive leader made a total of 79 Bundesliga appearances (2 goals). Last summer, Kempe said goodbye to Saxony and moved to Dortmund. She is looking ahead to the new season with great optimism. “We’ve added quality in depth,” she says of the new signings, which include star striker Alexandra Popp (35).

Kempe is eagerly anticipating the first competitive match of the new season. “I’m extremely excited for it to finally be about points again or progressing in the cup. That’s what you work toward. With every week, the anticipation grows,” says the 29-year-old. A little patience is still required, though. On August 16, Dortmund’s women will face league rivals 1. FFC Recklinghausen in the first round of the Westfalen Cup. Four days later, the Black and Yellows will host Arminia Bielefeld’s reserve team on the opening matchday of the Regionalliga season.

Experience helps

Last season, BVB had to concede first place to the second team of 1. FC Köln. “There was a lot of emptiness and disappointment. It also took some time before I could process and put last season behind me. We have to honestly say that we didn’t achieve the goals we set for ourselves,” she reflects.

Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images for DFB

The focus is now on the upcoming season. The new players bring a lot of experience, which the defender explicitly welcomes. “Looking back, in one situation or another I could also have used the experience of other players, or rather it would have benefited us as a team to have more players who had already gained experience in different pressure situations.”

The next test awaits Kempe & Co. on Saturday (July 25, 3:30 p.m.), when they face Dutch top-flight side SC Heerenveen.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.