When the call came, Christian Brand didn’t hesitate. The 49-year-old deputised as assistant coach for the home fixture against Schalke 04, but a few days later he will be taking responsibility for the first team in Bundesliga 2. “I immediately said that I would help. I have experienced a few turbulent situations in my football career, so I’m approaching the task in a relatively relaxed manner,” Brand told WERDER.DE.
Christian Brand will be Werder’s third coach in three games in Kiel, after Danijel Zenkovic and Markus Anfang. “It’s a strange situation but I can rely on what I know. A big part of being a coach is calling upon the tools you gained when you were learning,” said the former Werder player who has worked for the Green-Whites’ academy since 2018.
Christian Brand initially took charge of the U17s, before moving up to the U19s in the summer of 2020. Brand also has coaching experience at senior level, however. After a few years in Switzerland as assistant coach at FC Thun and interim coach at FC Luzern, Brand, who has a UEFA Pro Licence, took charge of Jahn Regensburg for a year and Hansa Rostock for two.
The fact that Werder Bremen have yet another top trainer at their disposal even in this challenging situation and after Danijel Zenkovic caught Coronavirus is testimony to the high quality within the WERDER youth system. In addition to Brand, Konrad Fünfstück (U23s) is also a coach with a UEFA Pro Licence. The Green-Whites are also training further high-level coaches in Björn Dreyer (U17s), Markus Fila (U15s) and Cedric Makiadi (U16s). Makiadi is currently providing Brand with support for the first team.
Together, the experienced ex-professionals are now working with the likes of Toprak and Füllkrug. “You don’t have to overcomplicate things that work,” thinks Brand, who has spoken positively about his ‘new’ team after meeting with the team council and also with the individual players. “A good hierarchy has formed here over the last few months. The leaders in the team have a lot of influence and know what needs to be done to win important games in what is a difficult situation. They are professionals, you can feel that.”
Come what may, Brand has clear plans for Sunday. The 49-year-old will be on the bus with his U19s for their away game in the A-Jugend-Bundesliga against VfL Osnabrück. “That’s part of it for me, it shows the team that they are just as important to me. We have also worked hard and I won’t let the boys down,” Brand told WERDER.DE. For interim coach Christian Brand, who once moved to Werder’s academy from Bremerhaven as a player, the youth system remains the source of footballing quality at SV Werder.
