First Class Flight For The Green-Whites

First Team
Thursday, 26.04.2007 / 19:21

It was clear in the plane on the way to Barcelona that this would be no ordinary tie. For all of their travelling this season, the Werder players have never been able to stretch their legs as comfortably as they did on the Austrian Airlines flight to Spain.

It was clear in the plane on the way to Barcelona that this would be no ordinary tie. For all of their travelling this season, the Werder players have never been able to stretch their legs as comfortably as they did on the Austrian Airlines flight to Spain. First Class, leg space, reclining seats and all the trimmings. The pilot greeted the team not only in the name of his crew, as is the norm, but also in the name of the flight security team and the German Military Airforce with well wishes for the Green-Whites on their mission. Two hours and five minutes of relaxation on board before the upheavel in Barcelona. A chance to kick-back and focus on the last steps of an eventual date in the UEFA Cup final in Glasgow. Werder are concentrated and determined about reaching their first European tournament final since 1992.

 

“If there’s a title on the go, we always want to be there - no matter which competition, but a European cup is something special”, explained Thomas Schaaf, who was there as Werder beat AS Monaco 2:0 in Lisbon in 1992: “It’s quite some time ago now but the memory of it is always there.” No wonder that the coach wants to repeat that triumph: “It would be fantastic if we could offer our fans the chance of experiencing such a final. We of course want to reach the final for ourselves too but to do so, we have a difficult round to get through first.”

 

It’s with exactly this thought in mind that the trainer has confronted his team: “We know what is awaiting us and there will be noone underestimating our opponents. They may be only tenth in their league but they’ve opened some eyes in the UEFA-Cup. They put Benfica Lisbon out in the last round and they have a really good team together this season.” Even before that, Espanyol had impressed their successes. Four wins and an 11:2 goal difference saw them ease through the group stage, leaving Ajax Amsterdam behind them before over-comng Livorno and Haifa.

 

Schaaf is not worried about his team taking Espanyol lightly. This time the Green-Whites won’t be marching out to the throngs at FC Barcelona’s stadium but rather at the more humble Olympiastadion on Mount Montjuic. Schaaf certainly doesn’t see that as being counter productive: “There will be a lot going on there too and aside from that, it’s not all that small – it’s even bigger than the Weser Stadium.”

 

Schaaf is not about to get himself up in a knot though. The coach is well aware of the strength of his opponents but also of the quality of his own team. This quality was particularly clear to see in the defence of late. The Green-Whites laid the ground work for progression to the semi final stage with clean sheets in Vigo and Alkmaar. “The defence has to function well. From there you can develop your strength”, remarked Schaaf and continued: “Experience has proven to us that a good defence can ripen over the course of a season. That could be seen in our defence this season too.”

 

The Werder defence will have to be on top of their game against a firey Espanyol attack. The Catalan side have scored the most goals in the UEFA Cup competition this season: “With the loss of Luis Garcia they are missing a very important player but they still nave Ivan de la Pena, an experienced, creative man who can always prove dangerous” noted Schaaf. The Spaniards will be particularly motivated against a German side. They have, in the past, had to endure two bitter defeats against German clubs. Last season Espanyol were twice beaten by FC Schalke 04 (3:0 away and 2:1 at home). The fans of the Barcelona side will have even more miserable memories of the UEFA Cup final in 1988 as Bayer Leverkusen (with Werder co-coach Wolfgang Rolff) turned a 3:0 first leg deficit around and won the tournament in a dramatic penalty shoot-out.

 

Jurica Vranjes can imagine just how difficult such an event would have been to deal with for the Espanyol players. The Croatian was also very relaxed on the flight to Spain and intends to return from this journey with a successful result. ‘Juri’ has his sights set on Glasgow: “I was there for the 2002 Champions League final there Bayer Leverkusen but spent the game on the bench. Despite the defeat, I still have great memories of a wonderful city and a really beautiful stadium. This time around I’d like to experience the whole thing with a success to boot.”

 

Johnnie Muldoon

 

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