Since the winter break, Florian Kohfeldt has put his faith in Niklas Moisander and Sebastian Langkamp in central defence. Milos Veljkovic has only started one game; away in Nürnberg when Langkamp was out with a head injury. However, Langkamp returned to the starting XI for the win against Augsburg. Florian Kohfeldt’s decision was for Langkamp and not against Veljkovic, and it’s by no means a permanent one.
Kohfeldt is “very pleased” with Sebastian Langkamp at the moment. The head coach justifies his decision to play the 31-year-old as he exudes a “certain calmness” and has a lot of experience. Langkamp then reinforces the decision with his performances. The defender won 100% of his challenges against Augsburg. “He’s taking on a lot of responsibility, both on and off the pitch,” added Kohfeldt.
It seems that the future belongs to Milos Veljkovic, who is eight years younger than Langkamp. Kohfeldt knows that the current situation must be difficult for the centre-back: “I speak to him a lot and really rate him. I believe he has enormous potential. He’s in a phase that he just has to get through at the moment.”
The Serbian is taking the current situation in his stride and working intensely to take back his place alongside Moisander. “He’s training very well and he’ll play this season. Long-term, he’ll be the future,” said Kohfeldt. “There’s an exciting amount of competition at the moment, that can only help us,” added Frank Baumann during Werder’s training camp in South Africa. These words are still relevant following the Augsburg game and no doubt will be for the rest of the Rückrunde.
