Werder Bremen general manager Klaus Allofs had to laugh when he was asked to look back on the three best experiences from the first half of the season.
Werder Bremen general manager Klaus Allofs had to laugh when he was asked to look back on the three best experiences from the first half of the season.
Werder Bremen general manager Klaus Allofs had to laugh when he was asked to look back on the three best experiences from the first half of the season. “Just three!! That’s not nearly enough. The whole year has been full of memories. Alone in the last couple of weeks we beat Real Madrid, turned around a very tight tie against HSV and the game against Leverkusen would have to be added to that too. It was a decisive championship game at a vital stage of the season and we not only won but also scored five goals. There was an 8:1 win too – I almost forgot that. This could go on for a while, there are surely a number of things I haven’t mentioned”, explained Allofs, who remembers the less positive situations too: “There was the bad start with all the injuries as well as the high defeats against Bayern and Dortmund.” Looking at the table though, the manager could see the positive side of things again: “All in all it was a wonderful year and a good start to the season. We can thank everyone in the team who did their bit for us.”
Allofs was of course linking the secret to Werder’s recipe for success to the unbelievable run of bad luck as far as injuries were concerned in the first half of the season, and at the end of all that, the Green-Whites find themselves level on points with Bayern Munich at the top of the table. “Everyone who was involved played their part.” Ivan Klasnic saw the root of Werder’s success in the same place: “To perform the way we have in the last 17 games you really need a complete team. There are no ‘B’ players. Every individual adds to the internal competition for places. I could only rejoin the team right at the end but always had a good feeling. You really have to be thankful to everyone who played so well when we were in need.”
Clemens Fritz is equally delighted about the fantastic overall achievements of Werder: “Look at the table. Prior to the season, or in particular after the first three games, no one would have expected us to go into the winter break in the position we’re in. No-one!! We have been quite underestimated. In the Champions League were unable to compensate for the injury problems we had but we did confirm the quality we have in the squad. Everyone who was thrown into the fray put on great performances.”
Head coach Thomas Schaaf considers this first half of the season to be one of the craziest in his career: “The manning of the squad was an absolute highlight this time around. You had to make changes to your decisions on an almost daily basis but despite all that, the lads all pulled together.” The coach was somewhat less surprised that his side finished the first half of the season level on points with Bayern Munich: “We knew that Bayern would want to secure a place right at the top of the pile but we also knew our squad had a lot to offer in spite of the difficulties. Almost every player had problems at some point but those who came in as replacements always covered well for the others.”
