Schaaf praises Pavlovic

Mateo Pavlovic would like to earn a spot on the Bundesliga squad through motivation during training.
First Team
Friday, 18.01.2013 / 08:56

Mateo Pavlovic has only been under contract with SV Werder for less than three weeks and the Croatian new acquisition has already made himself a candidate for a Bundesliga appearance with motivated training...

Mateo Pavlovic has only been under contract with SV Werder for less than three weeks and the Croatian new acquisition has already made himself a candidate for a Bundesliga appearance with motivated training showings and a strong test match debut. Werder head coach Thomas Schaaf praised his tall new centre back. "I am very satisfied with his start in the team. The motivation he has shows that he's gotten accustomed quickly to Bremen and that he would like to persevere. He has done his work very good thus far," said Schaaf.

"I would like to show from the first day on that you can rely on me," said Pavlovic at his official presentation shortly before Christmas. And his words have been backed up by actions. The 1.96m workhorse earned his first appearance with superb training sessions during the training camp in Belek. He made his debut in the final of the Tuttur Cup against fellow Bundesliga side Wolfsburg, and he came up with an assist on the winning goal by Felix Kroos. Pavlovic had already collected his first trophy in Green-Whites kit after just 90 minutes on the pitch.

The jump to the Bundesliga is already the biggest challenge of the new winter acquisition's young career. Before his transfer to Germany, the 22-year-old played in 96 matches in Croatia's top flight, the HNL. His strong point with his former club NK Zagreb with his strength in challenges and in the air. And he has already displayed those traits for Werder. "From a physical standpoint, he is absolutely able to be on the squad over the weekend," said Schaaf about the Croatian, who has had no trouble adjusting to the Bundesliga from a fitness standpoint.

Schaaf would not say Thursday if Pavlovic would already be on the roster for the night time match against Borussia Dortmund. "Of course we will wait the next couple days to see if he can internalise all of the tactical elements of our game in such a short time," said the Werder coach. Pavlovic will definitely get a feel for the atmosphere at the sold-out Weser Stadium.

 

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