Hannover head coach Mirko Slomka was an interested party last Tuesday as Werder Bremen reached the German Cup semifinals. The 42-year-old coach was watching the Green-Whites with...
Hannover head coach Mirko Slomka was an interested party last Tuesday as Werder Bremen reached the German Cup semifinals. The 42-year-old coach was watching the Green-Whites with...
Hannover head coach Mirko Slomka was an interested party last Tuesday as Werder Bremen reached the German Cup semifinals. The 42-year-old coach was watching the Green-Whites with another strong showing as they get ready for their Bundesliga showdown this weekend. "The performance against Hoffenheim showed what caliber we will have to go up against," said Slomka about the game on Saturday, 13 February 2010 at 3:30 p.m. at the AWD Arena. "Werder are a very dominating team which stands out with their individual class – especially in the attack – and their ability to create chances and work in the offensive spaces. But they also go through ups and downs," said Slomka.
Slomka third coach of the season
The Reds from Hannover however have not been able to stop their negative streak. Their last victory came on 31 October 2009 at Cologne. Since then, they have experienced the tragic suicide death of their German keeper Robert Enke as well as a stretch of 10 matches without a victory, including six straight losses. Andreas Bergmann was sacked after the first match of the second half following just five months in office. And then Slomka – a former Hannover youth coach and assistant coach for Ralf Rangnick for three years at Hannover – became the club’s third head coach this campaign.
Besides the team’s confidence problems, Hannover are also dealing with a number of potential injured players missing the game. Among those who may miss the Saturday match include Steven Cherundolo (shoulder), Karim Haggui (torn muscle), Hanno Balitsch (knee), Arnold Bruggink (torn muscle), Mikael Forssell (rehab) and Didier Ya Konan (knee ligament). "They may not be able to play their top XI, but Hannover will do everything they can to hold their own against us," said Thomas Schaaf. "We have to return to absolute certainty, to find the style of play that distinguishes us – also playing at a higher tempo. That’s where we need to get to," said Schaaf.
