It could be a showdown in the Champions League, and the anticipation was just as high for Werder players at their departure for Valencia Wednesday morning. Head coach Thomas Schaaf...
It could be a showdown in the Champions League, and the anticipation was just as high for Werder players at their departure for Valencia Wednesday morning. Head coach Thomas Schaaf...
It could be a showdown in the Champions League, and the anticipation was just as high for Werder players at their departure for Valencia Wednesday morning. Head coach Thomas Schaaf said once again that Werder had done their home work ahead of this important match-up. "This will be a nice challenge for us. The team is very good - third place in Spain says everything. They have had some great results with a team with an excellent mix. They have big, chiselled strikers like Zigic. But they also have strong dribblers and speedy players. The team cannot be allowed to find their rhythm," said Schaaf about his observations of Valencia. And he named some dangerous names: "Mata, Hernández and Villa are the kind of players who always look for challenges. The team is very dangerous in attack. But they are also very disciplined and use every chance to push forward quickly. They constantly cause trouble," said Schaaf.
One player especially sticks out according to Thomas Schaaf. But it is not Zigic, who scored two goals against Bremen in a test match last summer in Meppen. Instead it is David Villa, the top scorer of the 2008 European Championship. "He tries to score from absolutely every position and has a good shot. We have to really watch out. We cannot be as passive defensively as we were against Stuttgart," said Schaaf. Also flying to Spain were Clemens Fritz and Philipp Bargfrede. While Fritz is ready to play, Bargfrede must wait to see how his cold develops. Head coach Thomas Schaaf will observe the situation closely. "We trained last night and this morning. Then we will see if Philipp is able to play. It would be good if he was available," said the coach.
