As expected, the group involved at Werder’s Thursday training was deminished once again. Happily Tim Wiese was back in team training again but Naldo and Diego were missing as they both had to join up with the Brazilian national team who will play two friendlies in Sweden over the next week. Weise was able to join his colleagues again, having had to rest up his ankle which he twisted on Monday. “My foot is taped. I can still feel some discomfort and will continue to receive treatment but it will be o.k.”, commented the goalkeeper.
Good news!! Tim Borowski was back on the trainings pitch. The German international, who has undergone a groin operation and overcome a knee ligament injury, went through an individual training session with physio Stefan Wolters. The midfield man remarked: “I have been jogging over the last few days and gradually increased the strain on the injured area. Now I am running for longer periods and doing some coordination and ball training too.” Borowski is well within his organised time plan but admitted that he is prepared to allow some time for the healing process and is taking every precaution: “It’ll take at least another two weeks until I can return to full team training.”
There was also an afternoon session organised for the remainder of the squad. Clemens Fritz and Miroslav Klose took on some laps of the trainings facility with coach Thomas Schaaf and his assistants Wolfgang Rolff and Matthias Hönerbach whilst the Under 23 players Polenz and Kasper Jensen prepared for their up-coming amateur match against Ahlen. The German internationals Torsten Frings and Per Mertesacker were training with national coach Joachim Loew in Frankfurt. Mertesacker pulled out of afternoon training on Wednesday, still suffering from the effects of flu, but was back at it again on Thursday.
Johnnie Muldoon