Philipp Bargfrede’s
injury list makes for sorry reading, but the Green-White’s midfield engine can
finally mark a tick next to his most recent entry. “I am happy that the injury
has healed and that I have gotten through it,” said Bargfrede in an interview
with WERDER.DE. He returned to training last week, after returning from a torn Achilles
suffered at the end of 2016.
How he been missed! Werder lost none of the five games he has played for 45 minutes or longer this season. For years now there has been the ongoing joke with the statistics how Bremen perform, with and without Bargfrede on the pitch. And for years the average points won has been significantly higher with the 27-year-old involved. “Of course I am aware of that. You here these things, but it would be even better if the team did well without me,” said Bargfrede, among whose strengths is his ability to fight his way back into the team after such long, difficult injuries.
But an appearance on Friday against Wolfsburg will be tricky. “I wasn’t able to work on my conditioning so much when I was out. On top of that, I have only trained properly with the team on two occasions,” admits Bargfrede. He’s plan for now: “We’ll have to wait and see after the sessions today, tomorrow and on Thursday. Only then will I know what the situation is and how I am feeling.”
Regardless of whether he will feature in the away match in Wolfsburg, Bargfrede is expected a “tricky game” and a big challenge for SVW. “Wolfsburg will put us under a lot of pressure, as they are playing at home. But there are plenty of reasons to look forward to the match: Friday night, under the floodlights, and against an opponent that we can catch up ground on in the table.”
