Press conference ahead of home game against SC Freiburg

The Green-Whites returned home with a 4-3 win in hand last weekend, with their comeback from 3-0 down providing the coaching staff with plenty of material to analyse. "It was pretty obvious that we were completely invisible during the opening quarter of an hour and that our one-v-one defending was poor across the pitch," Werner said. "But, the red card then came from us taking a chance on an attack, even though we were 3-0 down. As soon as we were a man up, we played about as good as it can get. That display really gives us confidence."

However, Werder's historic win also came at a cost, with both Niklas Stark and Senne Lynen having to be taken off with injury. The duo, along with Mio Backhaus, will not be available to play this weekend. "It's a win that came with a personal cost," Werner said. "However, a football team is made of more than 11 players. Injuries happen every season and I'm not losing any sleep over it. We have enough players that are waiting to feature."

Freiburg, meanwhile, will be looking to get back on track after a disappointing showing last weekend. However, Werner wasn't willing to dwell to long on their 3-0 defeat against a St. Pauli side that defended deep. "In order to earn a positive result, we need to work for it," he explained. "We know our strengths when it comes to having possession and keeping our shape." The team will be looking to break their duck on home soil in 2024/25, having yet to hear the goal horn sound at the Weserstadion. "There's probably a spider web in front of it," Werner joked. "It's time that we blew it away."

????️ Werner on Friedl's return:

"He's an important figure in our backline and consistently performs well. But it's up to everyone to contribute. We haven't defended well recently. We need overall improvement in this area; it's not just dependent on Marco." #werder#svwscfpic.twitter.com/7gWxAZZbxP

— SV Werder Bremen EN (@werderbremen_en) October 4, 2024