“There’s something growing here”

The final preparations ahead of the start of the 2026/27 season have been made, as SV Werder look forward to the return of competitive football to the Weserstadion. Following the end of their five-day training camp in Harsewinkel, head coach Daniel Thioune discussed…

…the time at training camp: “The conditions were excellent. I’m a big fan of being able to get out of bed and step straight onto the training pitch. We also had exclusive access to both training pitches here, and the catering and gym were also excellent. It was great. It was also important to get to spend a lot of time with all the lads. We continued to work on getting more familiar with one another and with our playing style. It was a very successful week, including the time away from the pitch as well. There’s something growing here. We’re now looking forward to getting to play at our stadium for our final friendly, because we’ve been on the road at lot the last few weeks.” 

…putting plans into action: “It wasn’t entirely perfect, as we were without a few players in training. Instead, we were able to observe several of our youngsters. We were able to compensate for these absences and were also able to welcome back a few players. Senne Lynen was able to complete the full team session today. He’s not yet ready to feature tomorrow, but rather next week. Several players are close to also making a return. 

Dariusz Stalmach will return to full team training next week. Mitchell Weiser has completed parts of team training. We’re really building the foundations for something here, which is good to see. Obviously, we haven’t been able to bring all that to the pitch in the way that we’d hoped to just yet. But I always like to say that you can’t achieve in six weeks what you need six months to do.” 

…the final pre-season friendly: “Although it’s the final game we’ll play this pre-season, it’s still meant to pose a test for us. I hope that we’ll be able to play the way we’ve been working on, even when faced with a tougher opponent than in recent weeks. On the other hand, we also want to present ourselves to the fans. If we’re going to be playing at home, then it should be clear to see that we’ve developed the ability to absorb and deal with setbacks, even though our work in this area isn’t done yet. It will be clear to see that this squad is really enjoying themselves at the moment and that the young players are also being rewarded for what they’ve put in. That’s what I’m expecting tomorrow: that everyone enjoys what they’re doing on the pitch, and that everyone watching also gets a bit of enjoyment out of it.”

…getting to meet the supporters on Fans’ Day: “I always enjoy it. It also signals that pre-season has come to an end and that we’re gearing up for the competitive season to start again. The new players will be presented tomorrow. We will have some events with the fans and get to meet them. I know that we will get to sign a lot of autographs – that’s always part of it. It’s something special and it can help create something lasting that will carry on throughout this season. We will take the time to ensure that this can happen tomorrow.” 

…getting back in the rhythm of playing regularly: “We did a lot of travelling this summer, what with our two training camps and the trip to Cottbus. We spent a lot of time with one another. I’m looking forward to being back in the day-to-day rhythm, but mostly I’m looking forward to the games, a sold-out Weserstadion and our cup clash with LSK Hansa. We’ll be competing again, which is something we’re all looking forward to.”