Anthony Jung has been one of SV Werder Bremen’s constants in the 2023/24 Bundesliga season. The 32-year-old has played the second most minutes in the squad and has found a new home at centre-back. His contract has been automatically extended after activating an appearance-based clause. In a WERDER.DE interview, Jung spoke about the current season, his role and his future.
WERDER.DE: Hi Tony, how happy are you to have been able to sort out your future?
Anthony Jung: I’m obviously thrilled to have reached this number so early on in the season. This has given me some peace of mind and allowed for some certainty surrounding my plans. I’m happy, and, I must say, also quite proud of myself.
WERDER.DE: You didn’t make it noticeable, but did you have some sort of countdown in your head, where you were counting down the games?
Anthony Jung: No, I didn’t keep a tally for myself (chuckles). Focusing on the essentials and my daily business helped me a lot – in terms of staying fit and healthy and performing well in order to reach this number of games. The strategy worked really well.
WERDER.DE: That you’ve reached this mark so quickly is also due to your importance to the team – only Jens stage has played more competitive minutes than you.
Anthony Jung: I didn’t know that. I think they are side effects of the focus that you try to maintain as a professional footballer. I’m very grateful that I’ve been able pick up these minutes. For me it’s all about how I can optimally focus in order to achieve these numbers, and I’m happy that things have gone well so far this season.
WERDER.DE: Following your last contract extension, you spoke about a noticeable development within the team and a process that you would like to buy into as a player. How do you assess this development’s current status?
Anthony Jung: Admittedly, we didn’t start the season ideally, but I had the feeling that the whole project would constantly continue to develop due to the performance levels. I’m glad to be part of that. Especially in the last few games, we’ve taken steps in the right direction, namely upwards, even if they’re sometimes smaller steps. The development is far from complete, but we’re on the right track.
Anthony Jung will remain a Green-White after a clause was triggered to extend his contract ????
— SV Werder Bremen EN (@werderbremen_en) February 28, 2024
We're thrilled to have you with us, Tony ????#werderpic.twitter.com/2Ryax02gNN
WERDER.DE: It can’t be easy currently when you’re always lining up in different formations because of injury concerns. Does your experience help to create some stability despite all the rotation?
Anthony Jung: The rotation isn’t ideal. The coach has always said that we’ll need everyone over the course of a season and you can see that at the moment. We don’t hang around lamenting the absence of injured players, but instead put the focus on the lads who then get their chance. I can say with confidence that everyone’s there when they’re needed.
I want to keep playing football as long as my body allows and it keeps being fun.Anthony Jung
WERDER.DE: You will enter your fourth season at Werder in the summer. How at home do you feel with your family in Bremen?
Anthony Jung: Very at home. I’ve always said that as you get older as a footballer, you make decisions not just for yourself, but for your whole family. My son’s growing up here with us – my wife and our two dogs. We feel at home in Bremen and we’ve felt that more and more the longer we’ve been here.
WERDER.DE: At 32, you’re slowly moving into the latter stages of your career. Can you maybe even see yourself retiring at Werder?
Anthony Jung: I want to keep playing football as long as my body allows and it keeps being fun. I see myself playing for a few more years. Why not spend this time in Bremen and complete the final chapter here?
WERDER.DE: Hopefully we’ll see you on the pitch lots more times before then. What are your aims for the future at SVW?
Anthony Jung: We want to stabilise even more as a team, become more consistent and continue developing. We’re trying to create an identity that we then want to display, and which you’ve already seen flashes of recently. If we manage that, then we can set our aims as a team. I have a lot of belief that there’s still room for the team and also myself to improve.
WERDER.DE: We’re looking forward to seeing this develop. Thank you for speaking to us, Tony!
