Contract extensions, new signings and a winning run - the first quarter of 2015 was packed with memorable moments! What better reason to look back on January, February and March?...
Contract extensions, new signings and a winning run - the first quarter of 2015 was packed with memorable moments! What better reason to look back on January, February and March?...
Contract extensions, new signings and a winning run - the first quarter of 2015 was packed with memorable moments! What better reason to look back on January, February and March? WERDER.DE rounds up all the year's highlights in a series of articles.
Will he go or will he stay? It was the questions on the lips of every SV Werder for week after week. But the outcome of the contract negotiations between Zlatko Junuzovic and the club is known to all: Junuzovic stayed with the Green Whites!
Hundreds of fans joined together to shower their idol with love and adoration during the first lactate tests after the winter break. As well as numerous Junuzovic masks and songs, several fans put together a banner with the now popular hashtag #JunobleibtBremer (#JunostaysinBremen). It was no surprise then when the news of his renewal until 2018 was first broken on social media. The Austrian's excitement was so great that he himself broke the news a few minutes early than intended. A small mishap that sent the Werder fans into a digital frenzy, but caused a sweat for a few people behind the scenes!
Alongside Junuzovic's renewal, the Werder supporters also had a new arrival to celebrate. Jannik Vestergaard switched from Hoffenheim to the Weser. He himself signed a contract until 2018 and established himself as a defensive rock in the team. Something that Thomas Eichin had predicted himself when the defender was presented to the media: "We're all agreed that Jannik brings with him the perfect mixture of experience and potential to develop that we can build on in the future." Now a hero on the Weser, the Green White faithful have brushed up on their English to dub the centre back with a new nickname - "Weserguard".
A few days before Vestergaard's arrival, Werder faced Hannover in a friendly behind closed doors at the HDI Arena. It was a unique experience for the 22 players, as although the fans could enjoy the 3-2 win on WERDER.TV, it was unusually quiet inside the stadium. "It was crazy to see how much we talk on the pitch during a game," told Junuzovic. It certainly wasn't any fun without any fans in the ground!
Werder enjoyed a five-match winning streak at the start of the year, which saw them climb up table and out of a relegation battle. It all started with a 2-1 against Borussia Dortmund just before Christmas, followed by wins against Hertha (2-0), Hoffenheim (2-1), Leverkusen (2-1) and Augsburg (3-2). It was the catalyst for a strong second half of the season that almost saw Werder secure a spot in the Europa League, but for a defeat against Dortmund on the final day of the season.
