Allofs: "100,000 Fans Can Create Pressure Too"

First Team
Tuesday, 05.12.2006 / 09:52

On Saturday evening, Werder Bremen’s countdown for their clash with Barcelona began. Three days prior to the massive Champions League clash, general manager Klaus Allofs took part in a questions and answers session for a large gathering of media representatives...

On Saturday evening, Werder Bremen’s countdown for their clash with Barcelona began. Three days prior to the massive Champions League clash, general manager Klaus Allofs took part in a questions and answers session for a large gathering of media representatives to talk about the group phase until now, the pressure upon the team and his expectations. Werder.de was on hand to note the highlights.

 

Mr. Allofs, thanks to the match of the year, against FC Barcelona, you will have hardly any time to celebrate your birthday. Is that a strange feeling?

No, it’s totally normal that all eyes are on the game. It’s a final. We have the chance to create a sensation and it would be a sensation if we were to progress against the title holders.

 

For Werder Bremen that would be an amazing sporting achievement that the whole world would have to take notice of.

Yes, if we were to make it through it wouldn’t be by accident. Nothing has happened during the group phase so far through luck that have worked out in our favour. We really deserved everything. I think you could say that.

 

Does it not make the late equaliser for Barcelona in the first leg all the more annoying? – had that not have happened, Werder would already be in the next round

We don’t let ourselves worry about that. We are more than happy about the situation that we have created for ourselves going into this final game. In this group, to have ten points and put on good performances against Barcelona and Chelsea is a real success for us which in-stills a great deal of self-confidence.

 

Still Barcelona are the favourites to win the tie.

That’s correct but it’s not as if we feel we have to go into a tie against them with sweaty palms. It’s not the first time our team have been in a situation like this. Despite our teams youth, we have a lot of experience. We have all played in stadiums like this. Many have played in the World Cup or other such big tournaments.

 

What can Werder expect at the Nou Camp on Tuesday?

The atmosphere will be stunning, the fans will be behind their team but we can handle that situation.

 

What does that mean?

That their will be a massive amount of pressure on FC Barcelona. There will be almost 100,000 fans sitting there who will not be expecting to see the title holders slip out of the competition.

 

But there is pressure on Werder too.

But it’s positive pressure. It’s not like the Champions League qualification against FC Basel two years ago. We could have really embarrassed ourselves against a side which had been vastly underestimated by the general public. Then we were under pressure that we had to battle with. But we managed that. We have no fear of failure on Tuesday, it’s all about putting the icing on the cake of what we have so far achieved.

 

The team seem ready to add the icing, in the Bundesliga Werder have been able to celebrate two good wins.

It’s always good to win your Bundesliga games before a task like this. It lends us the confidence that we will need on Tuesday. We can’t afford to sit back. We have to get into the game with a more offensive tactic.

 

For their draw against Levante on Saturday, FC Barcelona rested up a number of their players, including Ronaldinho. For Werder, players such as Miroslav Klose, Torsten Frings and Diego played the full 90 minutes. Why were they not afforded a break?

Every trainer has his own way of making sure his players get the optimal preparaion for a game. We feel it’s good when our players retain their rhythm. Aside from that a game against Hertha BSC is no walk over and we really wanted the three points in our challenge to win the title. It would have been unnecessarily risky to pull out players who are in good form at the moment.

 

”Good form” is maybe underestimating Miroslav Klose at the moment having scored six goals in the last four games. How can you explain the fact that despite good performances he wasn’t quite as successful earlier in the season?

Why a striker has a phase when he doesn’t score? It’s a situation that is impossible to explain in football. Important is that such periods pass over. I said weeks ago that Miro would be at the top of the scorer list again. Now he has overtaken the rest.

 

Back to your birthday, could their be a better present than qualification for the next round of the Champions League?

(Laughing) That would be nice, but winning the Champions League wouldn’t be bad either.

 

Johnnie Muldoon

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