“It’s a new league for me too,” Ole Werner told the press before his first Bundesliga pre-season training session. The break was unusually short, but there was excitement in the air that was palpable throughout the Osterdeich. After a year away, and an even longer time playing under COVID conditions, there was finally once more to be Bundesliga football at the wohninvest WESERSTADION.
The Werder first team arrived at the training ground on 22nd June with smiles on their places, ready to fulfil fans wishes to get some autographs from their heroes. There were particularly warm welcomes for new arrivals Niklas Stark, Amos Pieper and Dikeni Salifou. Werner’s side spent a week-and-a-half at a training camp in Zillertal from 30th June to 10th July, where Oliver Burke, Jens Stage and Lee Buchanan also trained with their new teammates for the first time.
This was the first opportunity for the coaching staff to complete a full summer preseason with their squad. Furthermore, questions of personnel were already long resolved, as they had been the previous season. The anticipation for the start of the Bundesliga remained high throughout. Finally, on 1st August, the Green-Whites cruised through the first round of the Pokal against FC Energie Cottbus (2-1), with goals from Romano Schmid and Mitchell Weiser. The latter was a new permanent arrival, having played on loan from Bayer Leverkusen the previous campaign.