- The Ceremony and the Guardian: Navigating Extremes
Bremen gears up for an emotionally charged weekend. On Friday, a solemn tribute will be paid in Bremen to iconic Werder figurehead Willi Lemke, who passed away on August 12. Many old pals will pay their heartfelt farewells to Lemke, fondly called "Werder-Willi," one last time.
The current team won't be present at the tribute, a decision that's sparked controversy in the Hanseatic city. However, Werder boss Ole Werner justified the club's action: Organizational and logistical factors led to the team training concurrently with the tribute event and then heading to Augsburg for the initial Bundesliga match of the new season.
"I believe that would have been in line with Willi Lemke's spirit," said Werner. At the start of the week, the Bremen coach and players signed a condolence book, and the team played with a black armband in the 3-1 DFB-Pokal win in Cottbus. The home game against Borussia Dortmund the following Saturday will also pay homage to Willi Lemke.
Despite the emotional departure of the man whose greatest accomplishments at the Weser they credit him with, Werner and his team are committed to a good start to the new Bundesliga season against FC Augsburg on Saturday (15:30 CET, broadcast on Sky).
The Green-Whites are pinning their hopes on an unheralded 20-year-old striker who flew under the radar before the season began. But with his three goals in the DFB-Pokal game against Energie Cottbus, Keke Topp, who transferred from FC Schalke, swiftly won over the Werder faithful.
"When a player scores three goals, it's clear that he's made a case for himself," said Werner regarding Topp, who'll team up with Marvin Ducksch in Augsburg again.
However, Werner advised against expecting too much from the young striker right away. "Keke will now be playing in the Bundesliga regularly. We need to give him the necessary time," said Werner before the first league game of the season. So far, Topp has had limited action in the Bundesliga for FC Schalke 04 this season.
Topp's impressive performances in training and in Cottbus have momentarily pushed Justin Njinmah down the striker pecking order, who had a breakout season at the Weser last year. Overall, Werner sees his team well-equipped in attack despite Dawid Kownacki's transfer to Fortuna Düsseldorf.
Nevertheless, Werner anticipates additional squad movement before the transfer window closes at the end of the month. "I expect something to happen. That would also be beneficial for us," said the Bremen coach.
During the emotional weekend in Bremen, even as the current team was training and preparing for their Bundesliga opener, they made sure to honor Willi Lemke by signing a condolence book and playing with a black armband. Meanwhile, Keke Topp, the new unheralded striker, who transferred from FC Schalke, won over the Werder faithful with his three goals in the DFB-Pokal game against Energie Cottbus, singing, "I'm not going to lie, I'm really enjoying this moment."
