Bundesliga - Werder Bremen: "Trend-setting match" against Augsburg
Werder Bremen's head of soccer Clemens Fritz first had to collect himself. The appallingly poor performance in the 2-0 (0-1) defeat in Stuttgart had left the ex-professional feeling a bit weary. The Green-Whites had been completely without a chance in Swabia on Saturday evening. They had resigned themselves to their fate without putting up any resistance.
When Fritz was asked whether that was his team's weakest performance of the season so far, he was not about to argue. "I don't have all the minutes of this season in my head right now, but I think you can say that," said Fritz.
With their eighth defeat of the season in their 13th game, the situation has worsened considerably for Bremen. The brief upward trend with five points from the games against Union Berlin, VfL Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt has fizzled out again, with the relegation places just two points away. The next home game against FC Augsburg is now of huge importance. Another defeat and the criticism of coach Ole Werner is likely to increase again.
"We have to win this one, we need a different performance from the whole team," demanded captain Marco Friedl. Fritz also took the players to task: "We need a different performance against Augsburg. Otherwise it won't work against Augsburg either."
Friedl had no explanation for the performance in Stuttgart. "We missed everything you can miss," said the Austrian. "I can't remember ever being played like that by a team - except maybe Bayern."
Indeed, Bremen had nothing to counter Stuttgart's speed in particular. "Everything we did, we did far too slowly," admitted Werner candidly. "Especially defensively." The best thing about the break was the result. Because VfB wasted chances in the first 45 minutes, the score was only 0:1 at half-time thanks to a goal from ex-Bremer Deniz Undav (17th minute). But even after the break, Werder never really came into contention for a point.
It was only after Serhou Guirassy made it 2-0 with a quarter of an hour to go with a penalty after a previous mistake by Werder goalkeeper Michael Zetterer that Bremen got into the game a little better. Partly because the hosts took it a little easier after that. "That was sobering, because at no point did I get the feeling that we could do anything here," said veteran Leonardo Bittencourt.
The next few days will now be about sharpening their senses once again and preventing a total collapse against Augsburg. "We have a very crucial game next week," said Werner, who, however, urged everyone to remain calm. "Everything is very tight down there in the table and we are rightly where we are," said the Werder coach. "The situation is certainly difficult, but it's nothing that should come as a complete surprise to us."
Bundesliga table Review on Werder homepage Quotes on Werder homepage
Read also:
- Rail: travelers should postpone unnecessary journeys
- Grammozis new coach at 1. FC Kaiserslautern
- 24-hour trombone concert in Hamburg is over
- Freezing temperatures: rail traffic still restricted
- House uninhabitable after attic fire
- Christmas business is slowly picking up speed
- Despite the disappointing performance in Baden-Württemberg, Werder Bremen's focus shifts to their upcoming game against FC Augsburg in the Bundesliga.
- VfB Stuttgart's Deniz Undav, now playing for SV Werder Bremen's opponents, scored the opening goal against Werder in Stuttgart, setting the tone for the match.
- Clemens Fritz, Werder Bremen's head of soccer, and captain Marco Friedl both emphasized the importance of a strong performance against VfB Stuttgart's rival, FC Augsburg, in the next game.
- With only five wins in 13 Bundesliga matches, Werder Bremen is currently just two points away from the relegation zone, making every game a crucial one for coach Ole Werner and the team.
- The Austrian defender Marco Friedl, criticizing the deficient performance in Stuttgart, admitted that Werder Bremen "missed everything you can miss" and possibly felt like Bayern Munich's opponents on some occasions.
- Another ex-Bremen player, former attacker Leonardo Bittencourt, voiced his concerns about the team's performance, stating that it was "sobering" that Werder Bremen never seemed to have a chance against Stuttgart.
- While Augsburg may choose to take it a little easier after a strong showing against Werder Bremen, Werner insists that his team needs to avoid a total collapse and bring their A-game to the match in order to secure a much-needed win.
- Fans can stay updated on the team's Bundesliga standings and upcoming matches by visiting Werder Bremen's official homepage and following reports on the progress of the club in the German top-tier soccer league.
Source: www.stern.de
