Werder's dead ball specialist only needs to score another four free-kicks to break the all-time record of a former Werder player which has stood for nine years...
Werder's dead ball specialist only needs to score another four free-kicks to break the all-time record of a former Werder player which has stood for nine years...
The situation: A free kick 25 yards from goal. A five-man wall is positioned in an attempt to prevent the currently unstoppable SV Werder free-kick specialist Zlatko Junuzovic from scoring. A four step run-up was all the midfielder needed to fire in his fourth free kick of the seaosn - a league high! Now he only needs another four to break the all-time record held by a former Werder player which has stood for nine years.
"When there's a free kick, it's extremely likely that he'll hit the back of the net," said sporting director Thomas Eichin. The team got a free kick in the 29th minute of the match against Leverkusen and the anticipation over what was likely to happen could be felt all around the Weser-Stadion. "I was very pleased when the referee awarded the free kick and simply thought to myself that it would be insane if it went in. I wanted to try just like the last few times," described 27-year-old Junuzovic. His effort resulted in a goal and a celebration just like in the matches against Paderborn, Hannover and Mönchengladbach. "It was a great feeling as the ball smashed into the back of the net. I think that you could see the joy written all over my face," recalled the free-kick expert, whose goal made it 2-0 against Bayer 04.

Werder manager Viktor Skripnik believes that Junuzovic's fourth goal from a free kick shouldn't be his last this season. "I hope that his form will continue as he is a real weapon who helps us a lot." His importance to the team is also reflected in the statistics. With a tally of 13 goals, Werder, along with VfL Wolfsburg, are joint top of the league for goals scored from set pieces More importantly, Junuzovic has been directly involved in nine of them, scoring four himself and assisting five.
The Austria international's recipe for success is simple. "I decided not to practise free kicks but instead to simply see what happened. It worked last autumn so I'll probably continue with that plan," explained Junuzovic laughing. Captain Clemens Fritz on the other hand knows that his teammate "has spent a long time fine tuning his technique" which means it makes it all the nicer when "Juno" can now show what he's capable of.
Junuzovic, who was born in SFR Yugoslavia, has featured in the Green-Whites' midfield since January 2011 and now, in his fourth Bundesliga season, is chasing the record of a former Werder player. In the 1995/96 season, Mario Basler scored seven direct free kicks. Junuzovic, however, plays it down saying "It doesn't matter who scores the goals and how they come about. We just want to win."

With his goals and set-pieces, the midfielder, who missed the 2-1 away victory in Hoffenheim due to suspension, has played a large part in the team's improvement and subsequent rise in the table in the last week. "We have made a superb start which none of us had dreamed would happen. I think that we have deserved our victories. We are being rewarded for our performance unlike at the start of the season," summarised Junuzovic when asked about the team's perfect first week in 2015 in the Bundesliga. Having taken the maximum twelve points out of the last four matches, Werder have given themselves a boost in their fight to avoid relegation. However, the midfielder said "there's still a long way to go. We have to give our all in each game otherwise we'll lose; everyone has to be aware of that." Meanwhile, the upcoming opponents have to be aware of the fact that whenever there is a free-kick, Werder's "weapon" Junuzovic is ready.
