"It's our responsibility"

Marco Friedl interview

On the up: Marco Friedl and Werder playing for Bundesliga survival (nordphoto).
interview
Thursday, 28.05.2020 / 10:25

Interview conducted in German by Kevin Müller

Marco Friedl has now been playing for SV Werder Bremen for more than two years, and he can safely say that the current season has been the most difficult one so far for the 22-year-old. However, the U21 Germany international has been fighting against it, which was clear to see in the two most recent outings. At left-back, he helped ensure a clean sheet for the Green-Whites in both games. After the home game against Borussia Mönchengladbach, Marco Friedl spoke in an interview with WERDER.DE about the first three games since the ‘corona break’ and explains his positive outlook on the weeks ahead. 

WERDER.DE: Moin Marco! How are you feeling after Tuesday night’s game against Gladbach? 

Marco Friedl: "My legs are a bit heavy, but I feel good – no injuries and I’m at peak fitness." 

WERDER.DE: Before the game, you’d probably have been happy with a point, but in hindsight could have been three, couldn’t it?

Marco Friedl: "Definitely, especially when you look at the second half. The first half was an even battle but as the second half went on I think we were in control and had some good chances. All in all you can say that we were more deserving of the three points." 

Marco Friedl won 86% of his duels against Gladbach (nordphoto).

WERDER.DE: Let’s rewind a week or so – the Leverkusen game was not the restart anyone was hoping for and felt like a real low point in an already difficult season. What’s happened to the team since that Leverkusen game? 

Marco Friedl: "After the Leverkusen game, we addressed our mistakes and analysed the game. We know what’s at stake now and that we need to leave everything out on the pitch. The last two games were good, but we need to be performing like that in all of the last seven games now until the end of the season. If we can do that, I’m sure we can manage to stay up."

WERDER.DE: You yourself were also heavily criticised after the Leverkusen game. How did you take that criticism and what did it trigger for you? 

Marco Friedl: "Generally speaking, we all knew, myself included, that it was a bad game, not worthy of SV Werder Bremen. It was clear to us that we needed to give more and play better. I think the talks we had within the team and with the coaching staff showed us that we need to fight our way out of this sticky situation and can’t just play our way out of it. It’s nice to have two clean sheets under our belts now, but our focus is already on Saturday.” 

WERDER.DE: Two what extent did the win against Freiburg, where you all fought tremendously, trigger something in the team?

Marco Friedl: "Yes, it did trigger something. In the end you need a little bit of luck, which we got when their goal was ruled out for offside. But I do think you get your reward when you go full throttle for 90 minutes – that’s when luck is on your side. This certainly gave us a boost. We saw that when you invest everything into a game you get your reward. It speaks volumes for the team, the coaches and for everyone around us. We are on the right track now and we have to continue down it." 

It’s great how the club, the players and the representatives make their support heard.
Marco Friedl

WERDER.DE: The coach has said multiple times that there are seven cup finals to go…

Marco Friedl: "Every individual needs to throw everything at the games. We need to stay in the first division, where we belong. This season has not gone at all to plan, no doubt about that. For us, it’s all about redeeming ourselves in the eyes of the fans who have supported us through this. We know it is our responsibility now. One good thing is that, with one or two exceptions, the squad is fully fit again after the break. We’re back to full strength and we can make five substitutions per game, so we can ensure that there are always fresh-legged players on the pitch. I am delighted that we’re almost back to a full squad for the season run-in."

WERDER.DE: In the last two games, you’ve had better running stats than both of your opponents. How much did the ‘corona break’ help you physically? 

Marco Friedl: "We had time to let our aches and pains heal and properly prepare for the restart. We knew that we weren’t physically as fit as we’d hoped to be. We trained hard during the time without football and it’s obviously a real shame this didn’t pay off in the first game, but if you look at the statistics now, you can see that we are fit." 

22-year-old Marco Friedl has made 37 Bundesliga appearances for Werder Bremen so far (nordphoto).

WERDER.DE: In the games against Freiburg and Gladbach it was noticeable how invested the players on the bench were. Your teammates really pushed you. How does that affect you on the pitch – how much does it help? 

Marco Friedl: "It helps an awful lot when all of the players in the squad and all the representatives in the stands encourage you so much. We spoke about it again yesterday. In Freiburg and at home to Gladbach, we were the team making all the noise. It’s great how the club, the players and the representatives make their support heard. You really notice it as a player when no one else is in the stadium." 

WERDER.DE: How pleased are you, as a defender, to have kept two consecutive clean sheets? 

Marco Friedl: "The whole team is pleased about it. If you’re strong at the back and don’t give the opposition a lot of space, then it’s obviously a really nice feeling. But that wouldn’t work if we only defended with our back four, the defensive midfielder and our goalkeeper – the whole team has to defend. That starts up front. We pressed really well and we didn’t shy away from any challenges. But yeah, as defenders, we are obviously happy not to concede. We need to carry on like this."

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