"There was plenty of energy in training" | OneFootball

Werder head coach Ole Werner was in charge of Holstein Kiel up until his departure in 2021 (Photo: W. DE).

Press conference ahead of trip to Kiel

As the international break winds down, SV Werder Bremen can redirect their focus to the business end of the Bundesliga season. On Saturday, 29th March (15:30 CET), the Green-Whites will travel north to take on Holstein Kiel as Ole Werner returns to face his former club for the first time. During today's pre-match press conference, the head coach spoke about…

… returning to Kiel: "I watch Holstein Kiel as closely as I do any other Bundesliga side. I still live in the same area and know several people who work there. But, I'm not as close as I used to be, because I'm now responsible for Werder. I have my own things to worry about here and the important thing for us will be to take home all three points. With the exception of our game against them, my fingers are cross that Kiel manage to enjoy a successful season."

…the international break: "Training this past week was good – there was plenty of energy, which is exactly what we need. Several players were able to return from injury and use the sessions to work on their fitness. Having a couple of days off is good, but even then you're still working hard to prepare for the upcoming challenge in order to take advantage of this time."

…the return of several injured players: "It's extremely important that we have more options available again. Marco Friedl is an option to start as he's feeling good. He was sidelined for a while and can't be expected to take care of everything by himself. We're very happy that he's back and that he can play again. We also have some competition between our strikers again, and it's a good thing that we now have all our options available there again. That's also why this is a good position for us to be in."

"Maintain this standard"

…Oliver Burke, scorer of the winning goal in the last meeting with Kiel: "We have always enjoyed an open and honest relationship with each other. He's working differently to how he was in past years. He's approaching it differently, which leads to different performances and his teammates also see how important he can be for the team. Those are the changes that he's made, which have all been positive for us. He's developed as a player and has done a good job of fulfilling his role within the team so far."

…the business end of the season: "We're getting closer and closer to a phase where things can progress in one direction. That has an impact on the course of the games as well. We worked hard during the international break and I can sense that the team aren't pleased with how the second half of the season has gone so far, and that they want to now build on the performances from the end of last year."

…giving academy players minutes: "Obviously we're also thinking long-term, but every point matters to us, also in regards to our finances. We operate under a performance-based system and always want to maintain this standard. It's all about performance. We generally have three to four lads in training with us from our academy sides. If someone stands out, then we want to pursue this path with them, but they also have important games to play still for their respective teams."