Newly appointed Germany coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, 51, is hoping to lead her country to a third World Cup title in July.

She spoke to AFP subsidiary SID ahead of the tournament.

Q: The World Cup begins on June 7, and much is expected of Germany. How much are you feeling the pressure?

A: There are expectations, but I am not being told every day by the German Football Association (DFB) that we absolutely have to win the World Cup. Everybody knows we are in the middle of a process, with new players and new ideas coming in.

Q: It has been a turbulent last two years for the German women's national team. Is the team still among the best in the world?

A: There are more teams up there now, but we are still among the world's best, and we have huge potential. Whether we can show that at the World Cup, I don't know, because you need a bit of luck.

Q: But it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that you are aiming for the semi-finals?

A: It might even be necessary to reach the last four. Only the best three European teams will qualify for the Olympics and in my view there are a lot of European nations who have a chance of winning the World Cup. That's why we need to perform well in every game. Our first goal is to finish top of the group, and then we will take it round by round.

Q: What do you make of your group opponents: China, Spain and South Africa?

A: We have watched China a lot. They are good but they are not the most stable team. With Spain we have a real top team in our group, but we were equal to them in a 0-0 draw in a friendly in November. South Africa have a very good mentality and a lot of pace up front. They have two strikers who could just as easily be 100m sprinters.

Q: What style of football will you need to play to win the group?

A: We want to be active all the time, even when we are not in possession. We have to take risks and play high up the pitch to put pressure on our opponents. But we also need to find the balance and not be too eager.

Q: Does it help that you have regular contact to the men's team?

A: We have coaching conferences within the association, and at the first one I attended, we spent two and half hours standing around the tactics board with (assistant coach of the men's team) Marcus Sorg, discussing whether it was better to attack a back three or back four with one or two strikers. That was a real pleasure. Before our game against Sweden in April, I rang up Joachim Loew and spoke to him about how he had set his team up against the Netherlands a week earlier.

Q: How much are you looking forward to your first World Cup game as Germany coach?

A: Once we get to France, the butterflies will grow day by day. We will go into the first game full of pride and excitement, and we will perform well. I think it is going to be the most exciting World Cup there has ever been.