Gunning For Second Spot ! Lautern, Hamburg, Wolfsburg?

First Team
Friday, 18.05.2007 / 18:14

Somehow it just wasn’t Werder’s season, or was it? Seldom has any team earned more praise throughout the world of football, be it from experts or simple fans, as the Green-Whites have this season.

Somehow it just wasn’t Werder’s season, or was it? Seldom has any team earned more praise throughout the world of football, be it from experts or simple fans, as the Green-Whites have this season. It’s seldom that any team has put on as many stunning performances and achieved fantastic results only to come out at the end of it all empty handed. Surprising; the early DFB Cup exit. Simply saddening; the end of a brave Champions League battle. Frustrating; the fall at the final hurdle and end of a UEFA Cup final dream. Then, to seal off a season of ‘close but no cigars’, last weekend’s adieu to their title aspirations. Had all gone well, Werder’s clash with VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday, 19.05.2007, could have had an altogether different feel, but still, a win could mean direct qualification for the Champions League as second placed team in the league with at least a qualifying spot long since guaranteed.

 

The situation is relatively clear for all involved. Should Schalke 04 fail to beat Armenia Bielefeld, remembering they are two points ahead of Werder and not out of the title race just yet, and at the same time Werder were to win in Wolfsburg, then second place would go to the Green-Whites and a place in the group stage of the Champions League would be sealed. “We want to make second spot”, admitted general manager Klaus Allofs, “We are loading all our energy into achieving just that. It would be negligent of us not to be there ready to reap the rewards if Schalke were to slip up again.”

 

The possibility of notching up a ninth away win of the season would be another positive aspect when reminiscing on 2006/2007. Head coach Thomas Schaaf has a different view of things: “We want to play well and finish the season on a high note. Of course we are disappointed that we failed to achieve the goals we had set for ourselves. That’s understandable but it has nothing to do with Saturday’s game. We haven’t fallen into a hole. There is no reason for us to feel we are burnt out. The lads have trained very well.”

 

The hosts from Wolfsburg on Saturday can surely well understand Schaaf’s view point. Not only do the two clubs share the same club colours but since last Saturday, VfL are also out of their race at the other end of the table. “Having gone 2:0 down, VfL looked to be in dire straits but they managed to get back into the game and draw level. They saved themselves with that”, in Thomas Schaaf’s opinion. The ‘Wolves’ are three points and 14 goals clear of Alemannia Aachen and Mainz 05 – that should be enough. The spin off club from Volkswagen is still far adrift of its own expectations, as captain Kevin Hofland commented: “We have nothing to celebrate, we failed to reach our goal for the season.”

 

Wolfsburg had a number of international aspirations and there were times throughout the season that that appeared more than just a dream. A third of the way through the season, the Wolves had settled themselves in the upper area of the mid-table. Then, before Christmas, there came a run of four defeats on the trot, including a 2:1 defeat in Bremen. Swings and roundabouts after the winter break seemed likely to take a positive end with the club in seventh place on match day 28. The side have failed to win a game since then and plummeted into 15th place.

 

“They don’t want things to get any tighter than they already are and they would like to sign off the season with something positive for their fans”, remarked Thomas Schaaf, who expects a motivated opponent. Kevin Hofland confirmed: “We have a duty!!” Schaaf has warned his players to be wary of “Long balls aimed at Diego Klimowicz that he can lay off to his team mates.” The coach is also aware of the powerful shooting ability of Jacek Krzynowek. The bac four will have to keep a very special eye on Marcelinho. Since returning to the Bundesliga with VfL in January, the firey Brazilian has scored five and gotten eight assists to his name.

 

Werder have a positive record in Wolfsburg. The last three games there have finished with two wins and a draw in the visitors favour. Werder should also look to the 34th match day of previous seasons for inspiration. Last season’s spectacular 2:1 win Hamburg saw them take second place on the last day and a year before their 2:1 win in Kaiserslautern saw them jump from fifth into third place and into the Champions League qualifying spot. Nothing more to say – three times a charm!!!

 

Johnnie Muldoon

 

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