Nearly 40 points, game style progress, anticipation of 2014-15

Thanks to the fans who travelled to Leverkusen: The 12th man was an important factor this season. (Photo: nph).
First Team
Sunday, 11.05.2014 / 15:41

In the preparation for the match against Leverkusen, the leaders at SV Werder continually emphasized that they absolutely wanted to gather one more point... 

In the preparation for the match against Leverkusen, the leaders at SV Werder continually emphasized that they absolutely wanted to gather one more point. They were very close to the goal and reiterated: "We want those 40 points." The close defeat in Leverkusen meant that the team came up just short of the season goal. But does that mean that the 2013-14 season was failure?

"Of course we would have liked to have reached the 40 points, but the world's not going to end with us having one point fewer," said head coach Robin Dutt. "Regardless of the final place in the table, we never really had to fear relegation. We always had a good cushion and in the end it was 12 points. In addition, we could see a game style development which took longer than I had thought but was clearer and clearer to see since early in the year."

The playing style elements that Dutt talked about could be seen more than just in Leverkusen. They were the result of a consistent development of the past few weeks. "We played very, very good over the final third of the season. And after it was clear that we would stay in the first league, we didn't let up and stayed after it. You could see the handprints of the coach in our style as well," said captain Clemens Fritz.

While Philipp Bargfrede spoke of "many highs and lows" in the 2013-14 season which just concluded on Saturday, Fritz called it a "rollercoaster ride" - over long stretches. Fritz did have criticism of the team, especially the home matches and 66 goals conceded. "Especially in the home matches, we didn't play as steady as we had imagined. But we steadied ourselves in the back. We have to take that with us into the next season. We have to be even more consistent defensively. Especially when you see 10 games without a goal, then 66 goals allowed are just too many," said the 33-year-old.

At the end of the day - and the end of the season - Dutt offered up one more critical point. The Werder coach joked that the season should be longer than 34 match days. "The team is really playing so well right now that we would like to have continued playing. It's too bad that it's over for now." Dutt said the 2014-15 season cannot come soon enough, adding: "We are already now looking forward to it."

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