Fritz: More should take responsibility

At the end of the first training camp, captain Clemens Fritz called out his teammates to take more responsibility. The 31-year-old praised the good mood on Norderney but also warned of overestimating this impression.

But Fritz, the oldest field player of one of the youngest Werder teams, has called on all age groups to step up. "The youngsters must know what is expected of them. I believe in each of them that they could be the one to step up the most this season. Personal differences have no room on this team. Especially in this time of change, we have to come together more," said Fritz in a passionate plea.

Players like Aaron Hunt as well as Sokratis and Naldo or even Fritz himself should take more action. "Last season it wasn't that we didn't play our best. But there were some who were less focused on the task at hand. Contractual issues or injuries or whatever maybe distracted some. But we will certainly go through the first collective actions off the pitch before the start of the season," said Fritz.

Despite his words of warning, Fritz is also optimistic about the coming weeks. "It's true that the first signs have been positive. You could see on Norderney that we get along and that everyone is moving forward and the new players are very open guys. The work together and motivation are good. Those are good conditions for optimal performance," said Fritz.