First he battled his way into the starting eleven and then he scored the first hat-trick of his Bundesliga career. Nelson Valdez was the Man of the Match against Hanover 96 on Saturday but his goals were not the only talking point after the match.
First he battled his way into the starting eleven and then he scored the first hat-trick of his Bundesliga career. Nelson Valdez was the Man of the Match against Hanover 96 on Saturday but his goals were not the only talking point after the match.
First he battled his way into the starting eleven and then he scored the first hat-trick of his Bundesliga career. Nelson Valdez was the Man of the Match against Hanover 96 on Saturday but his goals were not the only talking point after the match. The Werder striker started by playing down the issue: "Of course it's good that things worked today but I have to keep my feet firmly on the floor. It can all change very quickly, this week you score a hat-trick and next week I don't score at all!", but the 22 year old intends to continue where he left off. "I've trained well over the last few weeks, thank's to God , the trainer told me at 11am that I'd be in the starting eleven. I'm hoping for more starts now. I've been a professional for three years now but still often hear that I'm young. That's why I put myself under pressure in every game. The competition at Werder is massive but I still want to play as many games as possible."
Those in charge at Werder have also taken notice of the fact that Valdez is sportingly headed in the right direction. Trainer Thomas Schaaf: "We are always happy with Nelson's will, recently it's been down to his lack of effectivity that has kept him out of the team. He rewarded himself today, he proved that he can do it. It's no secret that we want to extend his contract and will do all in our power to make that a reality."
General manager Klaus Allofs made the situation very clear to Valdez last Thursday when they met to discuss the clubs interest in keeping him. "Yes, we met last week and he told me that the club want to extend", the young Paraguayean wants to take some time before making a decision though: "I can invisage staying at Werder but also playing somewhere else. I can play the World Cup first and then make my decision after that", explained Valdez who admitted his adviser has been in contact with Borussia Dortmund's Michael Zorc.
Manager Klaus Allofs explained: "We are convinced of his qualities - he play's an important roll in Thomas Schaaf's plans. We take Nelson as seriously as every other player. He is no longer in the Joker roll, which he wasn't happy with. He's on a level with Miro and Ivan. He had more Champions League appearances than the other strikers this season. He will have to come to terms with the fact that he will continually face this problem if he wants to play at a top club - there are no first team guarantees."
Johnnie Muldoon
