SV Werder Bremen are in the final stages of preparing for their return to Bundesliga action, with just nine days remaining before they take to the pitch again. Prior to Christmas, the focus was on building up fitness levels. Currently, the Green-Whites are working on perfecting certain aspects of their game. On Thursday afternoon, the team first held a video session before heading to the pitch for a short, but intense, training session.
Ole Werner strides determinedly across the pitch. In his hand, the 34-year-old is clutching a piece of paper upon which he has divided his team into small groups. After the warm-up, his team run through a series of drills. First, they work on playing in different zones, before heading into a drill meant to work on building up play with no pressure. The session ended with a game of 11 vs. 11, where the team in possession needed to free themselves from the opposing team’s press right from kick off.
Werner could be heard shouting: “Tidier! More tempo! Finish!”. The head coach also found words of praise for his men when they did something well. These game-like situations are intense, the players don’t give each other an inch and they occasionally take each other to task. These are all the things you need in order to improve. Werder are taking on Schalke in a friendly on Saturday (14th January, 14:30 CET) before they resume their Bundesliga campaign the following week away at FC Köln (18:30 CET).
The training sessions are jam-packed. There is a quick huddle, followed by a crisp warm-up and then a drinks break. The work that follows is concentrated and focussed. Werner is vocal and his leading players are vociferous. You can tell that things are getting serious again. After an hour-long session, some players take part in passing drills, others practice shooting. Of course, not everything is perfect; not every shot is on target and not every pass is accurate. Now it’s down to the fine-tuning the details ahead of the return of the Bundesliga.
