They were playing for group honours, playing for prestige in Europe - nothing more and nothing less! "And we were playing for a good feeling for the North Derby against...
They were playing for group honours, playing for prestige in Europe - nothing more and nothing less! "And we were playing for a good feeling for the North Derby against...
They were playing for group honours, playing for prestige in Europe - nothing more and nothing less! "And we were playing for a good feeling for the North Derby against Hamburg," added Per Mertesacker after the final whistle. "We made things look easy today against a very strong team. We started the game very concentrated and played well and deserved to win," added a satisfied Mertesacker.
"We were more aggressive in the challenges, played super, clearly dominated Bilbao and won absolutely deservedly," added Werder keeper Tim Wiese. Head coach Thomas Schaaf agreed with his keeper. "I saw some great combination passing, nice goals and a very compact team, with whose performance I am very satisfied. Athletic were not as weak as the result would suggest. My counterpart had to make due without a number of players but still fielded a talented, young team that tried a lot, wanted to push the tempo and played offensively in the first half. We just didn't let them do anything. I am happy that we offered such a strong performance to our fans who made such a long trip," said Schaaf.
And Hamburg was continually brought up in post-game statements by Werder players, who were already focused on the North Derby while still at Estadio San Mamés in Bilbao. That is just a side effect for manager Klaus Allofs. "It fits very well for us that Hamburg is next on the schedule. No player will come up with silly thoughts and underestimate that game," said Allofs. And Mertesacker said the manager is correct. "This last game before Christmas is still a huge match. Both teams have the same number of points and one team can keep pace with the leaders. I assume that the same crowd will come as last year and it will be a great atmosphere. Our motivation is huge," added Mertesacker.
