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“The lads are desperate to get that good feeling back”
HORST STEFFEN AHEAD OF THE HOME GAME AGAINST TSG HOFFENHEIM
08/01/26 | 3 Min
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Bundesliga football returns to Bremen as SV Werder start 2026 at home to TSG Hoffenheim on Saturday, 10th January 2026 (15:30 CET). On matchday 16, Horst Steffen’s side are looking to make a positive start to the new year. Speaking at Thursday’s press conference, the head coach discussed…
…the absence of Max Wöber and Mio Backhaus’ injury: “Max is obviously disappointed. Against St. Pauli he felt like he was starting to find his rhythm again. In the end it should only be a short spell out, but he won’t be available, which isn’t ideal for us because he brings a really strong presence. With Mio, we have to see how his field of vision is. If his eye is clear, he can play – and we’re fairly confident on that front.”
…the opponents: “Hoffenheim have improved massively. They’re very flexible, make a lot of runs in behind and play with a very high defensive line. Their counter-pressing is aggressive, so we’ll need to find ways to break out of that and play through their press.”
…the busy week coming up: “In an ideal world, I’d love to take nine points. I trust this team to be capable of winning every game. Hopefully we can take another step forward, get good results and defend our position in the table. But right now, the focus is fully on Hoffenheim and on getting the first game of this busy week right.”
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…the current weather conditions: “I can’t predict exactly what the weather will be like on Saturday. So far, nothing has disrupted our training and everything’s gone to plan. The lads know the conditions and have trained on these pitches. As long as the surface is playable, there’s nothing stopping us from putting in a good performance – whether it’s minus seven or zero degrees.”
…the attacking play: “Recently we haven’t been good enough going forward to really control games through possession. On the other hand, our counter-attacks and transitions have been sharp and incisive. But if you’re not scoring enough goals, that’s a problem. We need to be more decisive in front of goal. The final pass and our movement when crosses come in both have to improve. When the chance is there, we simply have to get a shot away.”
…the mood within the squad: “When results aren’t going your way, it’s never a nice feeling and everyone senses that. But situations like this one can also bring something positive. The lads are desperate to get that good feeling back. They’re motivated, full of belief and want to perform. It’s in moments like these that togetherness really shows, within the team and the staff too.”
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