Werner doesn’t question that Werder will adopt the role of underdogs in Wolfsburg, but still prefers to focus on his side’s own strengths for the away trip: “Our approach for the whole season should be that we play our own football and don’t shy away from the task. Wolfsburg have a great deal of quality and real strength in depth, so we will see as the game progresses how best we deal with that. We need to be wary of their pressing. Wolfsburg have a clear identity and will want to show dominance – we need to stop that from happening,” said the 34-year-old. The shorter training week doesn’t have any effect on the mindset going into the game. “There wasn’t as much time to shift our focus to Wolfsburg following on from the cup game, but the goal remains to avoid any sloppiness and keep our concentration levels high,” explained Werner, who didn’t want to get drawn into any comparisons between the two matches: “There is just too big a difference between the fourth tier and the top flight.”
This will be Ole Werner’s first Bundesliga game as a coach, and he is already well aware of the differences between working in the first and the second division. “After three years in Bundesliga 2, of course it’s a change; you’re up against different opponents of a different calibre and everything becomes a touch more complex. But I’m looking forward to the new challenges that await and the experiences that we will share as a team,” said the coach. The Bundesliga also offers new counterparts in the opposition dugout, starting with former Bayern coach Nico Kovac, who took over at VfL ahead of the new season. “He is an incredible coach – he has had success at every club he’s been at. I very much expect him to do the same at Wolfsburg and that we will have a tough task on our hands on Saturday,” explained Werner, before, however, reminding the journalists once more of his approach for the season: “No matter who we’re up against, we want to play our football.”
