Last Sunday, it was announced that Niclas Füllkrug had extended his contract with Werder ahead of schedule. Our number eleven spoke to the media in the Mixed Zone on Tuesday about the extension and the challenges that lie ahead in the Bundesliga.
Last Sunday, it was announced that Niclas Füllkrug had extended his contract with Werder ahead of schedule. Our number eleven spoke to the media in the Mixed Zone on Tuesday about the extension and the challenges that lie ahead in the Bundesliga.
“Werder stands for something again and we want to continue that,” explained Füllkrug, when asked about what Werder’s return to the Bundesliga means to the club. “The promotion means so much to us. But we can make it mean a whole lot more because it is a new start for our team, that has grown together and we want to achieve something.” “Fülle” wants to take the emotions from last season’s promotion into the new campaign, and use them to make the team even stronger. The aim is for Werder to return to the Bundesliga with a clear system and a style of play that represents the club and according to Füllkrug, the feeling in the dressing room is currently very positive. “We have players at the club who could earn more money elsewhere, possibly even in the Bundesliga. But they all want to play for Werder Bremen and want to take on the challenges that lie ahead by working with the coaching staff. They can’t wait to prove themselves in the Bundesliga with this club and that is a great sign.”
Head coach Ole Werner has emphasised in the pre-season that Werder need to develop a sense of cohesion on their Bundesliga return, a sentiment which Füllkrug echoed in the Mixed Zone: “It is very important for us to develop a sense of solidarity this season. That can be our strength. But we also need to remain calm because it will be a very difficult campaign and that will require all of our effort. We will need every member of the team.” Ole Werner and his coaching team are important for the forward, both on and off the pitch: “The coaches instill a great feeling in the camp with their dealings with the players. They give me the confidence to go out on a weekend and score goals and they make me feel good about myself and important.”
Things haven’t always gone to plan for the players and the coaches in the pre-season friendlies, but that is not inexplicable for Niclas Füllkrug. “Some things haven’t quite worked as they worked last season. That may be down to the fact that our system heavily depends on working with each other. We have a clear procedure, in which four or five players have to function together. And if two of these four players are newcomers, who have only played in this system for a couple of weeks, then it naturally won’t run as smoothly as it would with players who have played together for years.” According to Füllkrug, however, the team are working incredibly hard on this in training and will be where they want to be for the first competitive match.
Fülle then explained how the plan for the Bundesliga needs to be implemented. “We will of course have to adapt in some areas. We hope that we can enjoy some possession but that may not always be the case, a bit like last season. But we want to surprise teams and put our plan into place. Last year, we managed to score lots of goals in periods in which we didn’t have much of the ball. That is something that we can do very well.” Füllkrug is also convinced that he can continue his effective partnership with Marvin Ducksch next season: “Duckschi has a great footballing brain and understands the game really well. He has a particular quality in front of goal and he is sure to help us in the Bundesliga next season.”
At the end of the media round, Füllkrug once again echoed the idea that is important to take next season game-by-game, just like last term. “The ‘do the groundwork, then we can talk’ attitude has served us well. We have to make a good start to the season and look to stay in the division. Only then we can maybe look to be a bit more ambitious.”
