'Everything's easier together!' – Lena Oberdorf & Kathi Naschenweng on the comeback trail

Monday morning, 8:28 am: the cold concrete floor of the underground car park echoes as two familiar footsteps approach. For Lena Oberdorf and Kathi Naschenweng, the same, almost routine daily routine begins. The pair are virtually neighbours, living just a few minutes' walk from each other, so it’s hardly surprising that they are currently not only working together towards their comeback from injuries, but also making their way to rehab at the FC Bayern Campus as a team. 

In the underground car park where they meet at the same time every morning, their cars are normally next to each other – one belonging to Lena, the other to Kathi. “We’re always really spontaneous when we meet: sometimes Kathi drives to Campus, sometimes I do,” explains Obendorf with a grin. “Travelling together is good for us. Because we’re going through the same thing at the moment, we get on even better. I have the feeling that Kathi sometimes knows exactly how I’m feeling or what’s going through my mind. She’s an empathetic person. If we’re sitting in the car and don’t talk some of the time, that’s also completely fine and not awkward. With some people there’d be an awkward silence in those moments, but with us it’s always noisy.”

The unexpected support

Arriving in the rehab area of the Campus, it quickly becomes clear how well the two get on. Oberdorf and Naschenweng laugh together, talk at length in between individual exercises, help each other. In a short space of time, a friendship has evolved between the two internationals that neither of them expected. “We didn’t know each other well before,” says Oberdorf. “Only from the Bundesliga and international matches, really. I only came to Munich in the summer and only knew Kathi from analyses of games against Austria or Bayern, so I didn’t think a friendship could emerge from our enforced break in such a short time. I knew she was a full-back and not exactly the slowest, but that was about it,” continues the 23-year-old, who admits she was glad to have Naschenweng for company from the start of rehab: “Of course, you don’t wish it on anyone that he or she is in rehab and hit by such an injury. However, for me personally, being able to go through the process with her made it much more pleasant and bearable from day one. Everything’s easier together.”

Through trust and strength

For Naschenweng, too, the new-found friendship with Oberdorf is far more than just a nice byproduct of day-to-day rehab work. “Obi’s really good for me with the way she handles things,” describes the 27-year-old. “She has two sides to herself, which I value tremendously. She can be really funny, sometimes she’s a right clown. At the same time, though, she’s a very calm person. I’ve got to know her as a very open, uncomplicated and funny person, with whom you can talk about anything.”

The defender has previous experience of a serious knee injury. In 2018 it was a cruciate and lateral meniscus tear, which kept her out of action for around 425 days. “The experiences from back then certainly help me,” reflects Naschenweng. “I know much better now that the road back is a process that doesn’t always go in one continuous direction. It’s completely normal that you feel good one day and then maybe a bit worse again the next day. To get back to full strength, I need to put the maximum strain on the knee, which I didn’t always know back then.”

Those experiences are also helping Oberdorf to see the healing process in rehab as a marathon, not a sprint. “At the start I had problems trusting the knee, for example when I had to do the first hurdle jumps,” she says. “I was anxious at first because I didn’t know what my knee was capable of. Kathi then kept pushing and motivating me.”

What’s more, the 23-year-old emphasises how good Naschenweng is for her as a human: “Kathi is an incredibly nice, helpful and lovable person. She’s a very direct person, who can also tell you things directly at times. I really appreciate that about her as I’m a more reserved type. People who have different characteristics to me are really good for me. I think, in general, that always help you in your personal development.”

Far more than just a team

As well as their mutual support of each other, it’s the solidarity in the whole team that drives both of them. “We actually see the team every day, a lot of the girls call in on us before training,” explains Naschenweng with a smile. “We chat often and spend the lunch break together. It’s good, Obi and I feel close to the team and involved, even though we can’t help at the moment.”

That’s also the case at home games at the FC Bayern Campus, even if it wasn't easy for either of them to watch from the stands the first few times. “I can still clearly remember the first Champions League match against Arsenal this season,” recalls Naschenweng. “I was certainly tingling inside – it hurt not to be involved in such a game and in that competition.” It was similar for Oberdorf, who finds away matches an even bigger mental challenge. “Honestly, I’m sometimes too nervous to just watch the match,” admits the midfielder. “That’s why I had the cup match against Freiburg playing on the laptop and had the TV on next to it. I find it very tough to live with the feeling of not being able to help the team on the pitch. That’s why every match is also a big motivation to be back with the team as soon as possible and be able to help.”

Eyes firmly on the prize

They’ll be spending a few more days in rehab together until the moment the pair are back on the pitch with their team, but Oberdorf and Naschenweng constantly have their shared goal firmly in their sights. “We often talk about the first volleys on the pitch,” tells Naschenweng. “If we were able to play them together, that would obviously be very cool. We’re currently at roughly the same stage, although Obi started her rehab a bit later.” The thought of the first sessions on the pitch, playing together and sharing moments on the pitch with the team is already providing them with a daily source of motivation. And one thing is already certain for Oberdorf and Naschenweng: even when they are back on the pitch together for FC Bayern Women, they’ll be heading to the Campus together from the underground car park.

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