“There was an outpouring of emotion”

Horst Steffen looked back at a dramatic first six months with Werder in our end-of-year interview. The 56-year-old, who was appointed head coach in the summer, told us why he is remaining optimistic despite a difficult start due to injuries and the Pokal elimination, which match was his highlight of the year, and what he wants from his team in 2026.

WERDER.DE: Moin, Horst. You have now been SV Werder head coach for around half a year. You will have heard it said many times that this is your first head coach job in the Bundesliga. After half a season, have you noticed any differences to your previous roles?

Horst Steffen: I definitely have in comparison to my previous job at Elversberg. Werder has a completely different setup. The Bundesliga is also very different to the 2. Bundesliga. I have noticed that in the media coverage and interview requests, as well as the stadiums and, of course, the quality of the football. For me personally, though, one thing in particular has remained the same: I enjoy working with people, trying to get the best out of them and analysing the opponents.

WERDER.DE: When was the moment when you thought: “Now, I’m here in Bremen and have arrived at the club”?

Horst Steffen: That was very early on. Even in Zillertal, I already felt that I had fully arrived. The fans were all very warm and polite. That made it particularly easy for me to settle in at Werder. Then, we arrived at the stadium in that 3-3 draw with Leverkusen. There was an amazing atmosphere after we got that last-gasp equaliser, and there was an outpouring of emotion both from the stands and from me.

WERDER.DE: What particularly impressed you about Werder? Were all of your expectations correct?

Horst Steffen: I obviously had expectations after the talks with Clemens Fritz and also from facing Werder as a player. First and foremost, I’m very pleased that my positive image of this being a great place to work has been proven correct. Everyone here works as a team every single day and I’m very happy about that.

WERDER.DE: A host of injuries and elimination from the Pokal meant the season did not start how you would have wanted. How did you deal with these setbacks?

Horst Steffen: We only focused on the things we could control. That meant we planned with the group we had available. Obviously, it was hard when some of the lads got injured or we could only put a squad together at short notice. As coaching staff, we have always tried to remain optimistic and get that across to the players. The lads need a strong coach who can deal with setbacks and stay calm, and that’s my job – to lead and to set an example.

WERDER.DE: How do you assess the 15 league games up until the winter break? After a tough start to the season, there was a streak of five games unbeaten but also a Nordderby defeat which must still hurt.

Horst Steffen: I’m pleased that we had that good run of five games unbeaten. We picked up points and were doing well. Unfortunately, there were then two matches, like the one against Köln, that we couldn’t win despite seemingly being on the road to victory. It’s still very disappointing that we didn’t even get a point in the Nordderby and that still hurts, sadly. It was a rollercoaster of emotions with a blow that I had never experienced before. It was new to me, but it wasn’t a surprise because that is what can happen in this league. There will always be games where we want to show our class on the pitch, where we celebrate great wins, but also where we suffer unfortunate defeats.

WERDER.DE: How far along are the team in their development at the end of 2025? What has improved already since you took over?

Horst Steffen: We need to create a lasting state of affairs in which everyone performs to the very best of their ability and can reach their highest level. We want to establish ourselves in the upper echelons of the table and widen the gap between us and the teams below us. I thought that we performed better against Leipzig and Köln than we did in some of the previous matches, but we still came away with only one point from those two games. Therefore, we need to start picking up more points on a regular basis. The work we do will lay the foundations for that, though.

WERDER.DE: You have given first-team debuts to young talents from the Werder academy like Mio Backhaus, Karim Coulibaly and Patrice Covic. Mio and Karim have even become regulars in their positions. How do you assess their development?

Horst Steffen: Mio probably had an even tougher start than I did (laughs). He began the season as our number two and then found himself starting the first game in place of Zetti. He has developed really well and also won the fans’ hearts in the process. We placed our trust in him and he has shown on multiple occasions that he is already a great Bundesliga goalkeeper. It’s the same with Karim, who had that emotional rollercoaster of a match against Leverkusen. He acquitted himself so well that I couldn’t take him out of the side. He doesn’t fear facing the big names, whether it’s Harry Kane or anyone else, and he has earned that right. I would have liked to have given Patrice more game time, as he impressed me a lot in pre-season. There is a lot of competition in his position.

WERDER.DE: What is the next step you would like to see the team take in their development?

Horst Steffen: Our duels and our intensity will continue to be areas we focus on. We’re good on the break and we need to take advantage of that more often. I believe we will then have more success, and our plan for January is to work hard on that. We could also become more efficient. Then, I will feel positive about the new year and my six months at Werder.

WERDER.DE: Thank you for speaking to us, Horst! We look forward to a successful 2026 together.