Werder's 'Duty' Against Ajax

First Team
Wednesday, 14.02.2007 / 09:22

On Wednesday, 14.02.2007, at 8:30pm, Werder Bremen take on Holland’s Ajax Amsterdam in the first leg of the UEFA-Cup last 32. “We have a duty”, explained Werder coach Thomas Schaaf .

On Wednesday, 14.02.2007, at 8:30pm, Werder Bremen take on Holland’s Ajax Amsterdam in the first leg of the UEFA-Cup last 32. “We have a duty”, explained Werder coach Thomas Schaaf . The Werder trainer is all too aware of the fact that the second leg will be at the impressive fortress of the AmsterdamArena and that means his side must lay the groundwork for the two legged tie at home at the Weser Stadium. When Schaaf mentioned ‘Duty’ though, he meant more than just this game.

 

It’s all about turning things around after the last two Bundesliga games left a lot to be desired. Schaaf was very clear: “The situation is not satisfactory. We wanted to break away at the top and didn’t manage to do so, allowing our competitors to pull away from us instead.” Aside from their goals in this “important cup”, in the words of Schaaf, the clash with Ajax Amsterdam should be taken as an opportunity to steer the Green-White ship back on course in the Bundesliga. “The team are not satisfied with their recent performances and want to get back into the thick of competitive football to show what they are capable of”, said Schaaf, “We have made ourselves the task of producing a better performance.”

 

Werder’s recent performances are the reason that Ajax coach Henk ten Cate expects to see a much improved Werder side: “European competition is always something different. It’s also the opportunity for a team to make a comeback.” Even in Holland they have taken note of Werder’s “Pace, work rate and goal scoring ability”, and are impressed by what they’ve seen despite the recent results for the Bremen club. “That’ll come back, hopefully not against us though”, commented ten Cate. The Dutch coach has respect for Werder and sees them as being the one with the task ahead: “We are a team in the assembly phase, we are a young side are missing some players. Werder, on the other hand, have been playing together for some time.” When asked where he sees Werder’s strength the Ajax coach remarked: “The team is Werder’s strength.”

 

It’s a team built on both defensive and offensive principles, but what has made Werder so strong this season is their perfect combination play and their balance of certainty and attacking football. “We will have to ensure that our defensive performance is just as strong as our attacking one”, demands Thomas Schaaf from his team for Wednesday’s tie. “We have to cover all areas, gather our strength in defence and play strongly going forward. I expect an improvement and a better result than of late.”

 

Ajax have won the Dutch championship on 29 occasions and the European cup six times. An impressive record even id Henk ten Cate would prefer to play it down: “All that count’s in football is the here and now, the past is a long time ago.” Thomas Schaaf is not the only one who considers Ajax a “Strong and interesting opponent. The Dutch side were put out of the Champions League qualification by FC Copenhagen, but in the UEFA Cup group stage Ajax had to overcome Austria Vienna, Sparta Prague, Espanyol Barcelona and Zulte-Waregem. In the Ehrendivision, a 4:2 defeat by Vitesse Arnheim on Christmas Eve was the last defeat for the club from the Dutch capital with five wins and one draw since then.

 

This record is, for Thomas Schaaf, enough proof of the strength of his opponents and the Werder coach remarked: “Ajax strength is in their attack, they don’t hide, they react quickly and switch very quickly into attack. They are a well endowed side in all positions: Babel up front – extremely active and physically strong. Then Sneijder behind him – very agile, very effective, Gabri – a great midfield runner or Jaap Stam at the back – a very experienced player. Then there is also Heitinga – a strong battler.” That probably says it all.

 

Schaaf is aware of what he will be facing and he will be doing so without his captain Frank Baumann, Ivan Klasnic and Patrick Owomoyela. To add to that group the new signings Peter Niemeyer and Markus Rosenberg are both cup tied. Schaaf will have the rest of his squad at his disposal, including Tim Borowski. “It was better today, but we will have to use the time we have until the game. He’ll train in the morning and then we’ll see how it goes”, explained Schaaf. ‘Boro’ is still suffering from the after effects of an injury he picked up against Stuttgart. All-in-all, the Green-Whites checked into the team hotel with an eighteen man squad on Tuesday.

 

No matter who plays on Wednesday Henk ten Cate believes he knows what his team will be having to face: “Werder are a strong, attacking team at home. I experienced that with Barcelona last season.” Back then ten Cate was assistant to Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard when the Spanish giants won 2:0 in Bremen in the Champions League. “It was quite a lucky win for Barcelona, who then went on to win the tournament. That speaks volumes about Werder Bremen.” In Bremen, many will be thinking back to their last meeting with Barcelona in Bremen. At the end of September, Werder turned on the style against Barcelona, despite being on the back of a five game run without a win – including games against Schalke and Stuttgart. Following that game the Green-Whites put a fantastic run together. Hopes will be high of a repeat of those heroics.

 

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