– It was a bit strange to enter the campus with the rest of the Norwegian people here. Meeting Germans and saying hello to them, but suddenly switching to Norwegian. It’s a bit special, but very nice. Tuva Hansen is in a brilliant mood when news meets her during the national team’s meeting in Munich. Here, Norway recharged on Bayern Munich’s training ground before the away meeting with Albania in the play-off for the EC. This is a place she knows well and where she thrives. But it was not long ago that life in the German big club was difficult. STAR IN A BIG CLUB: Tuva Hansen has played for Bayern Munich since the 22/23 season. Photo: Reuters The bottom point came in the last and decisive match in the Champions League group stage in January. She had struggled with little playing time all season, but got the chance from the start against Paris Saint Germain in a match that had to be won for Bayern to reach the quarter-finals. – Felt like I didn’t deserve to be there At 1-0 to Bayern, Hansen made a mistake that resulted in PSG equalizing. – I’ve looked at the situation again, and it wasn’t the moment that made us quit, but it felt very much like I didn’t deserve to be there, in a way. That I hadn’t done what I could. The match ended 2-2, and the Mesterliga adventure was over for the big German club. Tuva Hansen felt that it was largely her fault. In Bayern’s own documentary, we see images of a devastated Tuva Hansen who is comforted by her teammates on the bench after the match. – Yes, there were a lot of emotions. But that’s also how it is when you take quite a lot of hormonal preparations in addition, because of my endometriosis. So things can get a little dark. On the same bench sat someone she knows well, Bayern’s Norwegian coach Alexander Straus. The two had great success together in Brann. Now he witnessed a Tuva Hansen who went completely underground. SUCCESS DUO: Tuva Hansen and Alexander Straus from their time in Brann. Photo: Beate Oma Dahle / NTB – She was very sorry. Very sorry! Because it was during that period that she didn’t play that much, and then she played that match. Then she had this intervention, says Straus She had to be asked to toughen up. He brought Tuva Hansen from his old club Brann just half a year after he got the coaching job at Bayern Munich. They were then halfway into the 22/23 season. Due to injuries to other defenders, Hansen got a lot of playing time in the spring season, perhaps too much according to Straus. – It may have gone a little faster than we had planned and thought. So she played a lot in the first half of the year. And then the competition grew stronger during that summer. She played a lot less the following year, and I think that was tough on her. Little playing time was unusual for someone who for large parts of her career has been used to being first choice. But it is not easy to compete for a place in the star defense of Bayern. – Everyone wants to play. When you don’t get that much playing time, of course it’s frustrating. There is nothing to hide it. But it’s how you handle it that matters. FAMILY VISIT: Dad Hugo, cousins Celine and Tuva Hansen in Munich. Photo: Privat Agreed to too much Straus says that the two had many tough discussions during this season, and that at one point he asked Hansen to toughen up and make sure she got enough rest. – I believe that she had to focus more on performing on what she has to do on the pitch. If I go into all the details, it will be a long conversation, but more than focusing on a lot of things around. She had to optimize her everyday life in order to perform at the highest level. Because she needed that. She probably said yes to a lot. Tuva is a very yes person. Hansen agrees with Straus that she has a tendency to agree to too much. – I say yes very quickly and perhaps take on a little too much responsibility and a little too many things. – What things then? – It can be anything from social phrases to … It can be anything, really. I just want to help. I am very much a “people pleaser”. So I can say yes to a little too much. And then it might go beyond the energy in training or things like that. – Have you become better at saying no? – I am in a process… The bottom point became the turning point The Champions League match against PSG in January could have pushed Hansen even further down, but the opposite happened. – On the eve of last season, she attended the season opener and just “nailed” most of it. She was perhaps one of the very best of our season opener. She is in a completely different position now than she was a year ago, says Straus. Hansen nods when news confronts her with the statement to Straus, but she also mentions a nose operation she had this summer as an important reason why she now feels better than ever. NOSE OPERATION: Tuva Hansen believes the nose operation has helped make her a better footballer. Here with dad Hugo. Photo: Private – The operation has helped me both in training and in combat. I notice it in the number of sprints I take and that I get less tired towards the end of the matches. I feel like I’ve never been in as good shape as I am now. I am very glad that I made it a priority instead of taking a vacation this summer. I am very happy with the choice I made. This season could hardly have started better for Tuva Hansen in Bayern Munich, she has started 7 out of 8 games. They lead the Bundesliga and top their group in the Champions League after, among other things, beating Arsenal 5-2. But Tuva Hansen takes nothing for granted. – I don’t feel that you have a permanent place at this level anyway. You have to fight very hard to play, and you have to show that in training every day. Published 26.10.2024, at 10.58
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