With the international break drawing to a close, it is now back to the day-to-day of league action for the Green-Whites. Niklas Stark and Co. travel to Mainz on Sunday, 15/09/2024, for a 17:30 CEST kick-off. On Tuesday, 10/09/2024, the defender spoke to the press about the strong showing at home against Borussia Dortmund, and what Werder need to do in Mainz, in order to improve on two league draws so far and bring home a win.
Werder have started the new Bundesliga campaign with two points from the opening two matches, most notably holding Borussia Dortmund to a draw at home (0-0) which promised better results to come, before the international break put a halt to proceedings. “It was quite strange to have a break after only having played two games. That seemed early,” emphasised Niklas Stark with a laugh. Nevertheless, the 29-year-old used the week without a match to recharge. He explained, “Having only completed our pre-season fairly recently, this was a good opportunity for some down time. I went and practiced my golf with some friends in Munich and Austria, so I can hopefully beat Mitchell Weiser next time.”
With a bit of luck, the game against last season’s Champions League finalists could have turned out to be even more successful than it ultimately did. The clean sheet was in no small part thanks to Niklas Stark, who threw himself into every tackle and impressed with his positional awareness. “It was a really good performance against Dortmund. We performed very well as a team and everyone defended superbly. It felt like there was little to lose against that kind of opponent, so it was an enjoyable match to take part in,” said SVW’s number four on reflection.
Enjoyment on the pitch should hopefully come hand-in-hand with the first three points of the season, or as Stark puts it, “After two draws, we now want to win.” The next chance to do so awaits in Mainz, who have also begun the season with two points to date. However, after snatching a draw late on in Stuttgart through Maxim Leitsch’s 94th-minute equaliser to make it 3-3, they should have wind in their sails. “It is never an easy game in Mainz. We have a tough task ahead of us. In terms of the way the game should go, it could be similar to the Augsburg match. From the first whistle, we need to be going in strong into every tackle, do the basics right on the day, and then we should get good chances,” thought the defender, who is unbeaten in nine of his 15 games against Sunday’s opponents.
Recharged batteries, enjoyment on the pitch and a necessary bit of luck is not just the potential recipe for being able to beat Mitchell Weiser at golf, but also to hopefully turn opening draws into a win against Mainz 05.
