“Anything can happen at this stadium”

Important points will be up for grabs this Sunday, as SV Werder Bremen prepare to make the trip to Hamburg to take on FC St. Pauli (22nd February, 17:30 CET). A win would allow Daniel Thioune’s team to grow the gap between them and their upcoming opponents. Hear what the head coach had to say at today’s pre-match press conference about…

…their current lack of results: “I still have images of the win against Wolfsburg running through my mind, and I made sure to show those to the lads as well. I can feel the incredible amount of energy within through my team and now it’s about putting in another strong performance at St. Pauli in order to get the win. We simply need to score goals, which the team know how to do – they’ve proven that many times in training." 

…the lack of goals: “It’s also about managing to keep a clean sheet. We have enough players who are capable of scoring goals. It’s something we’ve made sure to work on again, in order to improve our finishing. The lads know that they have our full confidence.” 

…a potential relegation six-pointer against St. Pauli: “We won’t be able to celebrate staying up this weekend, nor will we be relegated. We have a tough run of fixtures coming up still. I’m well aware that the results have been lacking, but there’s nothing I can change about what’s in the past. That’s why it’s important for us to prepare for what’s still to come, as that’s something we can directly impact. Our current steps are to ensure that we finish above at least three teams.”

…the atmosphere at the Millerntor: “I didn’t get to experience the atmosphere when I was at HSV, as the match then took place during the pandemic. I was able to experience it while at Fortuna. Anything can happen at this stadium, which is something the lads need to be prepared for. It’s great to know that we will have so many fans there to support us. On the pitch, it will then be up to us to do what we can to win the game.”

…FC St. Pauli: “Despite their long run of poor results, they never strayed from staying true to themselves and continued to play their game. However, they are experiencing some of the same issues that we are. They haven’t scored many goals, but remain a constant threat. That’s why we will need to be prepared to cause problems for them and to play our game. If we manage to create space for ourselves and play with intensity, then we will definitely be able to make things tough for them.” 

…assistant coach Jan Hoeppner: “He knows his stuff and is able to help bring people together. I’ve known him for 11 years now, which I think is important. You need someone that’s able to connect a dressing room, who can bring the lads closer together. He knows how I see football and how I imagine us playing. That then goes hand in hand.” 

…potential changes to the starting line-up: “I can’t rule that out. I have now had another week to get to know the lads better and to work with them. Against Bayern, I saw several positive things. However, there won’t be five or six changes again. Karim is unavailable, which is too bad, but we will need to find a replacement for him.” 

…leader within the team: “Everyone is expected to give their all for our colours – that doesn’t just apply to the team council, but to everyone else as well. Mitchell Weiser is an important player, as is Amos Pieper, so are any injured players who can only contribute from the outside. Leo Bittencourt has had a good week, which I’m very happy about, as I expect him to be someone who leads the way.”