Werder’s internationals are making their way back to the Weser one by one as the international break draws to a close, much to the delight of Fin Bartels, who says that things have been all too quiet in training whilst they have been away. After all, the 30-year-old would have much preferred to have “been back in action straight away” after the impressive 3-0 win at home to Leipzig. Werder’s forward is raring to go again this weekend.
Bartels is preparing with the Green-Whites for their next outing in Freiburg on Saturday and the excitement ahead of this clash is building. “We’re buzzing for this match,” said Bartels in an interview with WERDER.TV. “Now we just need the rest of our players to return from international duty.” He himself used the break to “get away a little bit and clear my head.” He wants to give it his all once again with the recent positive run of form behind him.
Whether or not Werder can stop Freiburg in their tracks as they play host to SVW with just one defeat in six, is something that will be tested most acutely on Saturday. The eighth-placed side are doing well, a team that Bartels has described as “a tricky opponent”. He went on to say that “Most people think of Freiburg as just an ‘Underdog’ but you only have to look at how many points they’ve already picked up and where they are in the league,” warned Bartels. It is the work ethic of Streich’s men that stands out most for the Werder man.
The 3-1 defeat in the reverse fixture could have the potential to be a sensitive spot in the back of the Bremen minds. However that is long forgotten according to Bartels. “We know that the last time didn’t go so well but we have been performing very differently since then and will go into this game with confidence.” Every match starts at 0-0 and Werder’s forward is more than aware of this. The fact that he won’t be approaching this game with a cocky attitude is part of Bartels’ attitude anyway. “If you want respect, you have to earn it in every single match and at the moment we are doing that very well.”
