Werder Out To Split Hajduk Hopes

First Team
Friday, 25.01.2008 / 13:08

‚Poljudska Ijepotica‘ – the Beatuy from Poljud – will take on Werder Bremen in their next friendly. Poljub is the suburb of the Croatian port city of Split, where Werder will take on Hajduk on Friday, 25.01.2008 ...

‚Poljudska Ijepotica‘ – the Beatuy from Poljud – will take on Werder Bremen in their next friendly. Poljub is the suburb of the Croatian port city of Split, where Werder will take on Hajduk on Friday, 25.01.2008 in their final non competitive match before the season re-starts for real. Fans who have made their way to Split for the game will have a unique chance to watch the sun go down over the Adriatic Sea, which lies directly opposite the shell shaped stadium.

 

Werder with work to do

 

The eleven Werder players on the pitch won’t get to enjoy the striking sun-down but for Jurica Vranjes, it’s very clear: “It’s the last game of our preparations so we need to show just what we’re capable of.” The players selected will be looking to put the disappointment of the Winter Cup in Dusseldorf behind them, whilst hoping to impress the trainer ahead of next week’s DFB Cup clash with Borussia Dortmund. For the first time since recovering from a groin problem in Brazil, Diego will once again be spearheading the Bremen midfield. With Torsten Frings injured and both Carlos Alberto and Leon Andreasen having left the club, it will be a final chance for trainer Thomas Schaaf to look at his options in the centre of the park. The game in Croatia is especially emotive for the Green-Whites Croat internationals Jurica Vranjes and Ivan Klasnic: “It’s nice to back and play in Croatia”, explained ‘Juri’.

 

With all that in mind, Werder Bremen have selected an opponent who are, in Croatian football, on the same level as Dynamo Zagreb – even if the fans from Split wouldn’t be too happy to hear that. In qualifying for the Champions League, Werder had to get through two intensive games against the side from the Croatian capital. The Green-Whites 3:2 win in Zagreb’s Maksimir Stadium was an impressive display of Bremen’s will and coolness in the heat of the battle. Maybe the plan is to use this trip to Croatia to set up an equally successful re-start to the season as the start was. ‘Hrvatski nogomentni Klub Hajduk’ will certainly be an opponent who can offer Bundesliga standards of opposition: “Split have a good team and when a team as big as Werder come to visit, the motivation will rise yet further”, remarked Jurica Vranjes. Since the country gained independence, Hadjuk, and their arch rivals from Zagreb, have been the teams on which the league is measured. Split won their first title in 1992 and have taken five more since then – the last one in 2005. Back in the old Yugoslavian league, Hadjuk won the title on nine occasions. Since 2005, Split came runner-up twice but have not had things their own way so far this season and finished the first round of games back in fourth place.

 

During the 1970’s, Hadjuk made a number of European cup quarter and semi finals and in 1995, Split managed to reach the quarter final stages of the Champions League – the greatest success of a Croatian club in Europe to date. This time around, Split went out in the second round of qualifying to Sampdoria Genoa.

 

The Hajduk Way

 

The name ‘Hajduk’ is derived from stories of a Robin Hood type character who strove to relieve the suppression suffered by the ‘Dalmatians’. As so often is the case in south east European football, tempers don’t just tend to flare on the pitch. Split’s more extreme supporters – ‘Torcida’ – control the stadiums north end. Atmosphere is guaranteed but in more recent times, headlines relating to fascist support, has done little for the clubs reputation or that of their fans.

 

Back on the pitch – Split, just like Dynamo, are known as something of a trainee station for other big clubs in Europe. Robert Jarni (now trainer in Split), Alen Boksic and Slavan Bilic are just three of the clubs best known exports. The current squad also possesses a number of big names with the trend being that former celebrity players from Croatia to return to the homeland to end their careers. Boris Zivkovic (Leverkusen, Stuttgart) and Mirko Hrgovic (Wolfsburg) are known from the Bundesliga. Captain Igor Tudor spent some time with Juventus in Italy and striker Maris Verpakovskis was part of the Latvian side which so impressed at the 2004 European Championships. His strike partner is Nikola Kalinic, the league’s second best goal scorer having scored 13 goals in just games.

 

Hopes are high that, just as they did at the beginning of the season, Werder can shake off the disappointment of preparations so far and set themselves up against a tough opponent for the months to come.

 

Johnnie Muldoon

 

Weitere News

Your web browser ist outdated.
The web browser you are using is no longer supported.
Please download one of these free and up to date browsers.
Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge
Chrome Firefox Edge
Google Chrome
Mozilla Firefox
MS Edge
Why should I use an up to date web browser?
Security
Newer web browsers provide better protection against malware, data theft and other threats to your privacy and security. Up to date browsers continuously close security holes that allow attackers to enter your computer.
New Technologies
The technologies used on modern websites are better supported by newer web browsers. This both increases functionality and improves the website layout. By benefiting from new functions and extensions you will be able to surf the web faster and easier.