Ole Werner has been in charge of SV Werder Bremen for exactly 24 hours. In a busy day of signing, first chats, a team meeting and the first training session, the new head coach found time to hold a press conference to introduce himself to the media. WERDER.DE has all the latest.
... his first impressions: “It’s been very good. There has been and still is lots to do. We don’t have a lot of time and we need to get to know the players and staff as quickly as possible so we can get used to the routines here and start to put our own things in place. We have done a lot of work on that area in the last few hours. I feel welcome and I’ve met a hungry team who want to do well. That’s a good start.”
... Werder Bremen: “Werder Bremen is a traditional club, which has deep roots in this city, which you can see everywhere. I’m excited by the area and looking forward to the atmosphere in the stadium.”
... his time off over the last few months: “I used my break to reflect on the past and talk about things with colleagues. The main thing I was looking at was how football is developing, and how to think outside the boy. It wasn’t a long time, but it was a good time. I’m looking forward to this next challenge and a change of scenery after 15 years in Kiel.”
... first impressions of the team: “I think that the first few days are all about getting to know each other, no matter what situation you’re in. Everyone is curious to see what happens. Today was a bit unusual, as the second day after a game is usually a day off to keep the physical load down and not everyone was there. It was important to me that everyone was on the pitch today and working together. Tomorrow things will really get started and the preparations for Friday’s game will get going. The mood was positive and I have generally had a good impression. It’s a situation you have to face up to – there have been lots of changes in a short time and it’s my job now to give the team a clear way of working.”
... assistant coach Patrick Kohlmann and dividing up tasks in his coaching staff: “Working with Patrick in Kiel was a very trusting thing. I’ve known him since his time as a player – he knows the league and some individual players like few others. He knows how I work after being with me for two years and can give me some great information. ‘Kohle’ is a person I trust, who knows how I’ll react to a situation and knows me well. It was important for me that he came here. We’re currently missing Danijel (Zenkovic). I’ll take over the tactical stuff for the team in his absence, as well as set-piece training this week. When Danijel gets back, we’ll split up the tasks and give each other individual areas.”
... his character and leadership style: “I’m pretty open and approachable, someone who enjoys a chat and is interested in hearing others’ opinions. I try to let the team’s strengths come through and try to involve people, the more experienced players for example. At the end of the day though, it’s my job to come to decisions and I will do that too. Communication is important to me, and the way I lead is to be discussing things and bring people along.”
