Higher aspirations, more room for maneuver and an unlucky charm

Monday round-up

Team talk : Florian Kohlfeldt and Werder have high aspirations (photo: nordphoto).
Team Talk
Monday, 14.05.2018 / 13:26

+++ Where to go: In the second-half of the campaign the Green-Whites have seen better and better performances and have deservedly landed in a safe mid-table position in the Bundesliga. “For that we need a certain mentality and the absolute will to win” says head coach Florian Kohfeldt, who is trying to ingrain this philosophy in the roots of the club. “We want to play attacking football” continues the Werder coach. Frank Baumann also clarifies the goal for next season: “Our goal is to finish even higher in the league. The Bundesliga is a tough competition. But we have shown that we can do more than merely keep up.” The CEO is extremely positive about the work of the coaching staff. “Under Florian Kohfeldt we’re playing really good football and I’m very optimistic that we can achieve this goal. It will be a huge feat, but we will work hard for it." +++

+++ More room for maneuver: The 2-1 away win against Mainz 05 not only means a hop up the table from  12th to 11th place, but also additional revenue through TV rights. This particularly pleases the executive board of the Green-Whites. “Because of this little jump in the table we get four million euros more from TV revenues!” explained Klaus Filbry in the Opel Arena. “As a result we have more planning security and room for maneuver” rejoiced the chairman of the board. Frank Baumann backed up what Filbry had to say. “It is very important for us. The Bundesliga is inherently financial and a tough competition. Therefore every euro is great and important for us. Despite this, we’re not swimming in money. So we won’t be spending these earnings exclusively on transfers, rather invest it in the club’s infrastructure as well in order to set ourselves up even better for the coming years.” clarified the sporting director. +++

Theodor Gebre Selassie stood out in both defence and attack (photo: nordphoto).

+++ An unfamiliar position: On Saturday morning some Werder fans would have had to rub their eyes. So who’s playing in the Green-White back line? Both before the game and then later during the match, several of the first-choice center backs gradually disappeared, meaning head coach Florian Kohfeldt had to improvise. After Sebastian Langkamp was substituted due to an injury, Theodor Gebre Selassie joined Marco Friedl in central defence. “It’s been a very, very long time since I’ve played as a centre-half. But it’s not a terrible position at all, I’m already 31 years old and so don’t have to run up and down the line all the time”, joked the number 23 for the Green-Whites about his unfamiliar position. +++

+++ Match-winner: It’s the 79th minute in the Opel Arena. Florian Kainz arrows his corner kick in front of the Mainz goalmouth straight onto the head of Theodor Gebre Selassie. “Headers are his speciality” asserts Frank Baumann. And he’s quite right. The Czech Republic international scores the madly celebrated, winning Werder goal. A header, naturally. “His match-winner in Mainz showed his sheer desire, he put every ounce of energy into getting that goal, and he did so brilliantly.” rejoiced the sporting director about the 31-year-old’s sensational performance. +++

Sebastian Langkamp injured himself while playing against Mainz (photo: nordphoto).

+++ Unfortunate ending: Sebastian Langkamp was forced off early on in Saturday’s game against Mainz due to injury. The centre back stayed down in the 38th minute, visibly in pain. The Green-Whites’ number 15 suffered a strained muscle. “The injury will affect him mostly over the next few days. It won’t affect his time off this summer,” said Frank Baumann on Sunday. +++

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