After having to sit out of last week’s pre-match press conference due to illness, Ole Werner was back answering the journalists' questions as usual ahead of Saturday evening’s away meeting with VfB Stuttgart (18:30 CET). Despite Amos Pieper's serious injury casting a shadow over the week of training, the head coach is determined to rise to the upcoming challenge.
VfB Stuttgart are the team to beat, currently sat just behind the Bundesliga leaders from Leverkusen and Munich. After the Swabian side only narrowly avoided relegation by beating Hamburger SV in June, Stuttgart have turned their luck around and are now occupying the opposite end of the table. “They’ve taken a lot of momentum and self confidence from difficult situations,” explained Ole Werner. “They also have great individual quality in players who fit in well with the coach’s playing style.” Werner believes that Stuttgart have been on a roll ever since Sebastian Hoeneß took charge in April, after the results had previously been lacking during a difficult period.
Werder are aiming to pick up points against the in-form Stuttgart side in order to increase the gap between themselves and the bottom three in the standings. Even though SVW were forced to recognise the strength of their opponents in their defeat to Leverkusen, Werner emphasised that the Green-Whites go into every game with the clear goal of claiming all three points.“For us, there aren’t any matches where we’re definitely going to pick up points, and there also aren’t any in which there’s no chance of us picking up any points either, no matter how strong the opposition is,” said the 35-year-old, who celebrated his two-year anniversary as head coach during the week. “It’s also important for us to remain aware of how tight it is in the table so that we’re able to achieve the club’s targets.
Stuttgart are certainly the favourites on paper going into the game, but the result is ultimately dependent on various factors. “We never know beforehand how the game is going to pan out or what kind of condition the opposition is in,” Werner said. “We need to put in our best possible performance and play to our strengths. We’re going to Stuttgart with the goal of winning the game, whilst also being aware that that’s not going to be easy.”
????️ Ole Werner on Amos Pieper:
— SV Werder Bremen EN (@werderbremen_en) November 30, 2023
"It's very tough news to take for Amos. It's also extremely bitter for us, because he's a great player and teammate. He underwent a successful operation this morning, but will likely be absent from the squad for a number of months."#werder#vfbsvwpic.twitter.com/L5YwScgEb1
