Critical, targeted and together

An analysis of the current sporting situation
Florian Kohfeldt and Frank Baumann are looking to lift Werder out of the current crisis (Photo: nordphoto).
First Team
Sunday, 22.12.2019 / 09:14

After 17 matches played, Werder have just 14 points, which is the worst return during the first half of a season in club history. “It really hurts,” said head coach Florian Kohfeldt after the 1-0 defeat in Köln. Werder are in the midst of a relegation battle, and could slip to a direct relegation place following the results from the Sunday fixtures. In the aftermath of the loss to Köln, the club has made it clear that it’s time to analyse things critically and find what’s going wrong in order to make a successful start into the preparations for the second half of the season.

“Of course we’re concerned about the current situation, which has only gotten more difficult with the defeat today,” said Marco Bode, the chairman of Werder’s supervisory board. “We’re disappointed and upset. We now have to work together in order to prevent ourselves from being relegated.” Bode told journalists during a post-match press conference in Köln that the board fully supports the sporting management of the club. “We are convinced that Florian and Frank will get us out of this situation,” Bode said. “Everyone at the club must be willing and ready to take on responsibility, as there’s no room for egotism. We will all work together. We’ve had experience with tricky situations in the past, and have always been able to find our way out of them.”

Marco Bode and Florian Kohfeldt will take stock of the current situation (Photo: nordphoto).

Over the holidays, Frank Baumann and Florian Kohfeldt will look for answers to explain why Werder have struggled during the first half of the season. The two will still take time to enjoy the Christmas break, but the days leading up to the start of training during the winter break will be filled with plenty of hard work and long hours. “Our analysis will have to include the big picture,” said Baumann, who added: “We made several changes during the summer in order to improve the team, which is something we will also have to take a look at. We had several injuries within the squad that weakened us significantly, so it’s possible that we let things get a little too critical in this area.”

The sporting director made it clear that Werder can expect to work hard in the fight against relegation during the second half of the season. When asked if Werder will make any transfers during at the start of the New Year, Frank Baumann remained noncommittal. “We have the responsibility and the obligation to act when the possibility of a transfer arises – even with the limited options we have,” Baumann said. Meanwhile, Florian Kohfeldt was not willing to accept the accusation that the squad was lacking in physical fitness. “We worked on strengthening ourselves in this area over the summer, but the players ended up dropping out due to injury relatively quickly,” he said.

The Green-Whites have been plagued by injuries all season long, and the most recent match against Köln was no exception. Milos Veljkovic, Ludwig Augustinsson and Philipp Bargfrede all picked up injuries in quick succession, adding to the more than 20 serious injuries that the team had to deal with during the course of the Hinrunde. “Everything that could have gone wrong, did go wrong,” said Kohfeldt, who added: “We will fix this. I believe in the team and the work we’re doing together. We will not be relegated.”

Frank Baumann threw his support behind Kohfeldt, saying “I have full confidence in the head coach. He is very detail-oriented, and has been able to handle the situation well. I’m confident that we will be able to stay up with him.”

 

Your web browser ist outdated.
The web browser you are using is no longer supported.
Please download one of these free and up to date browsers.
Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge
Chrome Firefox Edge
Google Chrome
Mozilla Firefox
MS Edge
Why should I use an up to date web browser?
Security
Newer web browsers provide better protection against malware, data theft and other threats to your privacy and security. Up to date browsers continuously close security holes that allow attackers to enter your computer.
New Technologies
The technologies used on modern websites are better supported by newer web browsers. This both increases functionality and improves the website layout. By benefiting from new functions and extensions you will be able to surf the web faster and easier.