Ole Werner’s guiding principle ahead of matchday 15 is to build on last week’s performance. Following the 2-0 win against Augsburg, the goal is to “follow up a win with more points”. The Green-Whites are travelling to tenth-placed Borussia Mönchengladbach on Friday evening, 15.12.23, 20:30 CET to do just that. “I’m expecting an even game,” Werder’s head coach said at his press conference ahead of the away game.
SVW haven’t managed to win two consecutive games so far this season. However, there is no explanation for the lack of away wins according to Werner. Things were the other way around last season. “Last year, we couldn’t win at home and picked up our best results away from home. We haven’t made any changes from last year that would somehow explain this. Sometimes, these things are the result of the game, the opposition or form on the day. We’ve done better at home up until this point."
A good performance on the day is essential against an industrious and compact Mönchengladbach side. “It will depend on how we maintain distances in order to close down their passing lanes. We need to press high at the right moments and win the ball back,” the 35-year-old explained. Werner sees chances for SVW in the way that Gladbach play their football. “There’s always space for the opposition the way that they press, but we can’t let them play their strong attacking football.”
On Friday there will be a reunion between former Werder man Fabio Chiarodia and his past teammates. The 18-year-old centre half was a big loss for the club when he left in the summer. “We would have loved to have kept him, but we weren’t able of doing that at the time. He decided on taking a different path, but we’re still looking forward to seeing him again tomorrow,” said head of professional football Clemens Fritz. Werder are lacking strength in depth at centre-back and in other positions at the moment. Fritz didn’t make any clear statements on this subject: “We’ve got an eye on the transfer market and we aim to make a signing during the winter break. Above all, they'll have to fit in with our style of play, but the financial aspect is also significant.”
Fritz, Werner and Co. emphasised how pleased they are that Romano Schmid has extended his contract. “Romano has made consistent progress over the past few years. He's a very important player for us, so I'm really pleased that he's made a commitment to the club,” said Werder’s head coach.
