Worries about the playmakers

Claudio Pizarro and his team-mates are looking ahead after the preventable loss in Berlin.
First Team
Monday, 20.04.2009 / 17:21

Do you remember what happened on 9 August 2008? The odd Werder fan may recall a certain Cup game. And they would be right. But the 9-3 victory in Nordhorn was not the most noteworthy occurrence...

Do you remember what happened on 9 August 2008? The odd Werder fan may recall a certain Cup game. And they would be right. But the 9-3 victory in Nordhorn was not the most noteworthy occurrence from that date. No, on that day, it was only time this season that neither Diego nor Mesut Özil played for Werder. Despite all the highs and lows, it's been clear all season how important both midfield maestros are for Bremen's creativity. Well, it was the case again against Hertha Berlin as Diego's thigh was tweaked and Özil's knee was giving him trouble.

 

"We were missing three playmakers," said Frank Baumann, who also included the long-term injured Daniel Jensen. Head coach Thomas Schaaf lined up Aaron Hunt and Alexandros Tziolis as the Diego and Özil replacements in the offensive midfield. And after some early struggles, the duo found their way better and better into the match. "Despite the missing players, we played pretty orderly," said manager Klaus Allofs. But a scene in the 20th minute added further salt to Werder's creative wound. Berlin's Maximilian Nicu landed on Aaron Hunt's ankle after a tackle. Hunt played on until the end of the first half but was subbed out at the break with the fear of a sprained ligament.

 

Now that the unsatisfying game against Berlin is over, the whole Werder family is trying to figure out how things look for the playmakers for the Cup semi-final on Wednesday. "It's a long time until Wednesday. Hopefully a few players will make it back," said an optimistic Torsten Frings. "That would be important. If they are missing then we are missing quite a bit," added Frank Baumann. And Klaus Allofs said: "The situation is just like last week in Udine. We will have to wait until the last day. I am not worried about it yet. I will cautiously ask on Tuesday."

 

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