SV Werder Bremen have finally put an end to a poor run of form thanks to two wins on the trot. “The performances weren’t bad in the other games,” stressed Milos Veljkovic in the Mixed Zone on Tuesday, before adding, “The important thing was that we focused on ourselves, kept persisting with our style of play and were more efficient at both ends of the pitch. That’s why the past couple of games have both gone our way.”
The centre-back noted that SVW’s play in the middle of the park has been consistently good. He went on to claim that, alongside the aforementioned efficiency, luck, ruthlessness and team spirit are the secrets to the Green-Whites’ success. “You could always feel the team spirit, especially when things weren’t going well. We stuck together and believed in ourselves when others didn’t,” said Veljkovic. It’s important that Werder continue to stay together as a team even after the two victories. “We’ve stood out over the past few weeks, because we stayed calm irrespective of the situation and were level-headed.”
Just as they have done over the past few weeks, Werder are taking it one game at a time and going into each match with confidence in order to pick up more wins. “We want to keep playing our way. We can’t do it alone,” emphasised the 28-year-old. “If we play like we did last weekend, things will go our way on Saturday.” SVW’s next opponents are thirteenth-placed Borussia Mönchengladbach. The Foals’ campaign has also been characterised by a lack of consistency and they will be looking to pick up points to guarantee safety. “The longer the game is open, the more risks they’ll have to take,” stated Veljkovic. “That’s why we’ve got to focus on ourselves, approach the game calmly and with clear heads, as well as show our quality on and off the ball out there on the pitch.”
Veljkovic was over the moon about Niklas Stark’s availability for Werder’s last few games of the season. “We need every player that’s fit. It’s all about working together, not against each other,” he explained, referencing the competition for the starting centre-back spots. The Serbia international expressed his desire to use the remaining matches to make a case for his involvement at the upcoming European Championships. “It would be a great honour,” said Veljkovic. “Serbia have qualified for the first time in 24 years. I’m very proud and hope that I’ll be part of the squad.”
