Mitchell Weiser signed a contract extension at Werder Bremen just before the final home match of last season. The full-back was in the mixed zone today as he looked ahead to the new season and reviewed how pre-season has gone so far, giving his thoughts on the Green-Whites' current status.
“Our friendly results weren’t great,” admitted the 30-year-old with regard to Werder’s pre-season tests. “I feel we’ve got back to our usual standards in training and that we’ve got back in our groove. We’ve improved physically and are also getting better with the ball – everyone's working hard to ensure that we’re ready in Cottbus, because that’s what matters.”
The 2-1 victory over Coventry City last weekend was a small step but nevertheless a step in the right direction, and Weiser admitted himself that he felt he’d got “better” compared to previous friendly matches. The excitement levels will increase that little bit more for the Werder players when they play their last friendly against Rennes on Saturday (10/8), the final test before things really start to get serious, as Werder’s number eight explained: “There’s a real fight for places, and the new lads are doing really well. Everyone wants to prove that we’re ready for the last friendly.”
Next up for Werder after the Rennes test will be the first competitive game of the “024/25 season: a DFB-Pokal first-round tie against Energie Cottbus, a team with whom Weiser is familiar, having scored Werder’s second when they faced Cottbus at the same stage of the competition two years ago, with the Green-Whites emerging 2-1 victors.
SVW will certainly be hoping to match the result, rather than experiencing another first-round exit like the one which they were subjected to at the hands of Viktoria Köln last season, who scored a last-minute goal to make it 3-2 and knock Werder out of the cup. “Cottbus are already in a rhythm because the 3. Liga is already underway. We know that when you play against lower-league opposition, you need to be on point. We cannot leave anything to chance. Last year you saw who was able to go far in the competition and even get to the final. Therefore, we’re working very hard in the final two weeks before this game, and we’ll give 100 per cent.”
