After the bitter pill of relegation to the Bundesliga 2, there isn’t much time for SV Werder Bremen to dwell on the disappointment. The new season will get underway in July, so Frank Baumann’s immediate priority is the hunt for a new manager as well as the reconstruction of the squad.
WERDER.DE spoke to the sporting director to discuss plans for next season.
WERDER.DE: The last few days have been grim for all our Werderaner. How has it been for you? Have you been able to break things down and make sense of it at all?
Frank Baumann: "Obviously things still aren’t too good with me. I think it’s fairly normal that the sadness, anger and emptiness that we felt on Saturday is still there after a few days. Still though, I’ve managed to flip the switch fairly quickly because there is work to be done analysing the season. At the same time, we have to look ahead and make some quick decisions; we need a new coach and there will also be big turnover among the squad. And we don’t have much time because the Bundesliga 2 season starts much sooner than the top division. With that in mind, we’re working really hard to prepare for the new season.”
WERDER.DE: Last year there was an intense breakdown and thorough analysis of the season. How will you approach that this season?
Frank Baumann: "We’ve more or less been breaking things down as we’ve gone along during the last season. In recent days it’s been about looking at the decisions we’ve taken this season; we’ve had to be especially critical of what’s happened over the last few weeks. Getting just one point from ten games cost us our place in the Bundesliga. In that respect, our relegation can be considered unnecessary and at the end of the day it is us who are responsible for that.”
WERDER.DE: What happened after the Bielefeld game? Did the team feel safe?
Frank Baumann: "We had already tried to fight that feeling because we knew that we still needed more points. The negative spiral set in and we kept losing confidence. Individuals are not to blame. The team, the coaching staff and I are the ones who get the points on the pitch or provide the conditions to do so. We didn’t manage that and so the disappointment was massive. We have to admit that we made mistakes this season.”
WERDER.DE: A significant portion of the blame has been assigned to you and now the wait is on for the board to send a clear signal that you are allowed to continue your work. How are you dealing with that and how much does it restrict your work?
Frank Baumann: "It’s pretty normal for jobs to come under question after a historic club like Werder Bremen gets relegated. It’s a process that is justified and important because the club has to be sure of who they want to employ in the future. So I have no problem with that. We have a duty to plan for next season and to plough ahead with the coach and player search.”
WERDER.DE: What is the situation regarding the new head coach? When do you think an appointment will be made?
Frank Baumann: "We have three favoured candidates right now. We will hold a second round of discussions with them to form a broader picture and better impression. We are in the final stages of the selection process and the new coach will probably be announced in the next few days."
WERDER.DE: Can you talk us through the hiring process?
Frank Baumann: "We get references, speak with former colleagues, players and superiors. The candidates are also put under the microscope by a sports psychologist. Together with a communications expert, we also analyse how the coaches behave in public. Also playing a decisive role is their playing style, how many goals their teams score and how results have been in comparison to those performances. We have an absolute ton of data available to us. From all of this information we form an overall picture of the coach, which is then aided by the personal discussions.”
WERDER.DE: What are the expectations for the new coach?
Frank Baumann: "Our desired profile has social, leadership and interpersonal skills alongside their professional capabilities. Those are really important assets for a Bundesliga head coach. It’s also about results: how does he instil his desire to win in others? How does he show that mentality and how is it conveyed to the team? On top of that there is our basic philosophy: the type of football that we want to play and how the squad should be put together. There will be massive pressure next year. We will go into a lot of games as the favourites ands so we need a coach with a clear style who can make our players better. He also needs that desire to work with young players.”
An overhaul of the squad is required.Frank Baumann
WERDER.DE: With Davie Selke, Niklas Moisander and Theodor Gebre Selassie all leaving, three departures have already been confirmed. Can you give Werder fans an idea of who else might go? Will there be much squad turnover?
Frank Baumann: "There are players who have said that they want to play the second division and others who have said that they see their careers heading elsewhere. With those players we will have to wait and see whether we get an attractive offer. One thing is clear, though; we will have to give up a few important players. That’s also partly because of the economic situation. I also think that a certain overhaul of the squad is required. We have had two disappointing seasons now and with that in mind we need to change the make-up of the squad - especially because new challenges await us in the Bundesliga 2. We want to reshape the team for that.”
WERDER.DE: How far have plans progressed regarding the squad? How much does it depend on the new coach?
Frank Baumann: "We need experienced players, a leadership axis and players who know the Bundesliga 2, who know what it’s like to go and play in Aue, Regensburg or Sandhausen. Young players can also play a big role in our future. We have some really strong U23 players and some guys who have been out on loan who are now options for us. The balance has to be right and I’m optimistic that we will get that right. But we want to wait for the final decision regarding a coach and to see which players leave us. There are some players who we can picture in the squad who know the second division. That can be an advantage. Johannes Eggestein has had a good season with Linzer ASK, he has developed really well. He is a guy that we can imagine in our squad. But it’s important that we consider the squad as a whole and come to an agreement with the new coach on any decisions.”
WERDER.DE: How will preseason look ahead of the earlier Bundesliga 2 restart?
Frank Baumann: "Training will begin in the middle of June; the new coach will choose the exact date. We will travel to our training camp in Zillertal at the start of July. That will be our only camp of this preseason. Exact dates will be announced closer to the time.
WERDER.DE: What are the aims for the Bundesliga 2 next season?
Frank Baumann: "The first goal is to find a new coach and put a squad together. Our number one priority is to put the conditions in place not just to compete for promotion, but to achieve it. But we know - and this is important - that we will go into the season as favourites and that there will be many clubs looking to claim our scalp. The league will be very, very tough, and not just because there are so many big clubs. There are also some other clubs who have put together strong teams. We know that nothing is given for free and so we are going to need respect and a certain humility. We have to take on this league and this situation and deal with them as they are.”
