Pernille Harder has claimed that she is adjusting well to the Frauen-Bundesliga following her move to the league.
Having moved to VfL Wolfsburg after winning the Damallsvenskan with Linköping, Pernille Harder took to the Frauen-Bundesliga like a duck to water, adapting to the physical nature of the league with ease. Already having helped her new team to the domestic German double Harder is clearly enjoying her time away from her native Scandinavia.
“I like Germany, it’s been a good half year, it’s very direct and I really like it.”
Direct style suits her style of play
One of the most striking things about her short time in Lower Saxony has been her link-up play with Norwegian international, Caroline Graham Hansen, the two immediately striking up a lethal partnership in green,
“We think football in the same way so it’s easy to have a good partnership and she’s such a good player and a good personality so it’s easy to cooperate with her.”
After making her senior bow for Denmark aged just 16, Harder has become a lynchpin in the national team rising to captain, whilst at Linköping. After so many years of coming up against her domestic teammates in international competition Harder is nonchalant over the idea of having difficulty separating the on the pitch and off the pitch sides of her life.
Although saved a quarter-final clash with Sweden that would see her up against a number of her former-LFC teammates and current partner, Harder and Graham Hansen certainly didn’t go easy on each other when Denmark sparred with Norway in their last group game, the pair of #10’s battling away throughout.
“It’s not so difficult, when you’re on the pitch you just want to win and do everything for that and you don’t think that it’s your friend you’re playing against. Afterwards of course, we talk (and before) but when we’re on the pitch we’re against each other.”
Comparing the two leagues
With two distinct styles on show in the Damallsvenskan and Frauen-Bundesliga, Harder laughs when describing the physical nature of life in the German league,
“German is more like 100% into the tackles,” she continued, “in Sweden we talk about playing in the zones, protecting the space behind but in Germany is very much attacking; it’s more pressure and faster, you have to think a faster.”
One of the most talented attackers in world football for the last few years at just 24, Harder shows no signs of slowing down, still wanting to grow and become a better footballer,
“I want to be as good as I can be so I’m just trying to develop all the time.”