“Use the derby to give us a boost”

Buoyed with confidence coming off the back of a thrilling Nordderby victory, the next tough challenge is right around the corner for SV Werder Bremen. On Sunday, 26th April, at 15:30 CEST, the Green-Whites will kick off away at the side currently sat fourth in the table, where they’ll be hoping to build on a solid showing against HSV. As preparations for the game against VfB Stuttgart got underway at the beginning of this week, Daniel Thioune described Werder’s upcoming opponent as possessing the “strongest attack in the league after Bayern.” The Swabians will be feeling sure of themselves heading into Bundesliga matchday 31, having just secured victory in their DFB-Pokal semi-final tie against SC Freiburg. In his press conference ahead of the trip down south, Daniel Thioune discussed...

...VfB Stuttgart: “Congratulations to Stuttgart on making the final of the DFB-Pokal. I imagine everyone in Stuttgart will be delighted with the result, and will have fond memories of last year’s success. It will definitely have taken a lot out of them, but they have unbelievable depth in their squad, and they’ll be full of energy come Sunday, I’m sure. My opposite number, Sebastian Hoeneß, will definitely be focusing on the fact that this weekend for them is all about picking up more points in the race for Champions League football. They have the second strongest attack in the division. I’m expecting a rejuvenated, composed Stuttgart side.”

...the momentum from the Nordderby: “We’ve had a lot of high-pressure moments over the last few weeks and months. That was absolutely the case ahead of the Nordderby. It was clear to see, though, that the win took the pressure off a little. We were very impressed by the tifo from the fans, the buzz in the stadium, as well as the support we had at our final training session. We were the better side over the 90 minutes. We’ll take all that with us as we head to Stuttgart, who are the second-strongest side in the division when it comes to form at home.”

...the mental advantage after winning the derby and with Stuttgart playing 120 minutes on Thursday night: “We’re not coming off the worst week ever; we want to use the derby to give us a boost. It’s a bit of wind in our sails ahead of the game. VfB have so much depth of quality, though, that the physical aspect won’t play a role. They could put out an entirely different XI on Sunday, and they’d still be more than capable of playing good football.”

...the key to defending well: “We have to focus on ourselves. Over recent weeks, we’re the team who’ve allowed the fewest shots on goal. We’ll look to do the same come Sunday. We’re going up against a side with an incredible amount of quality. It will come down to our mentality towards winning the ball back and dealing with the fact that we may have to suffer for a bit. We want to play our own game, though. If we have the ball, it might make things more difficult for Stuttgart.”

...the role of Jovan Milošević: “No Marco Grüll means we’re a man down up front. Jovan has certainly been in better form than he is now, but he hasn’t had much time since returning from injury. He’s had a full week of training, which will help him. He’s an option to start against Stuttgart. Since he’s under contract with them, I think he’ll be highly motivated and will want to show everyone that we made the right decision with him and that Stuttgart signed a fantastic young player with a lot of potential.”

...returning players in central defence: “Marco Friedl will be back. Max Wöber is fit again, which I’m very pleased about. I have lots of options again. They’re all great players with their own strengths. It will very likely be the case that Marco Friedl returns to the starting eleven. We’ve also seen him play out of position this season, which you can’t rule out from happening again. Now we have to see what fits best against Stuttgart. It will be a tough decision to have to leave one or two centre-backs out of the starting lineup, but I’d rather have that problem than have to worry about not having enough players to choose from.”

...his relationship with Cameron Puertas: “We have to treat players in the best way possible. Cam has a great sense of humour and can handle a bit of rough treatment. We’ve got a great relationship on a personal level. He has shown a lot of energy and taken responsibility from day one. It’s important to show trust in players, but it’s also important that they then go and deliver. They then earn that trust and playing time. He gives us a lot because he’s willing to put the hard yards in during a game. I’m glad a player like him has been able to develop and show how good he is.”