A typical example of trainer Thomas Schaafs sense of humour could be heard at the weekend. When asked about his wishes in relation to the first leg Champions League qualifier, the coach thought briefly and spoke dryly: "25:0", making it very clear what he thought of the question. Thomas Schaaf is well aware that the match against the Swiss champions will have nothing to do with wishful thinking: "They have a good team and strong individuals."
A typical example of trainer Thomas Schaafs sense of humour could be heard at the weekend. When asked about his wishes in relation to the first leg Champions League qualifier, the coach thought briefly and spoke dryly: "25:0", making it very clear what he thought of the question. Thomas Schaaf is well aware that the match against the Swiss champions will have nothing to do with wishful thinking: "They have a good team and strong individuals."
The players too have been made clear as to what to expect from the current league leaders in Switzerland: "That'll be a toughy, alongside their quality they have the home advantage and their fans behind them", intoned Miroslav Klose. Torsten Frings continued: "They are not Swiss champions again for nothing and with their quality they could easily mix it up in the Bundesliga". So, no need to woory about over confidence at Werder, not even from general manager Klaus Allofs: "I can take away the hopes of the Swiss fans who think we underestimate their team, we are not of the opinion that the Swiss champions can't play Champions League and their is a lot of respect for Basel in Bremen. We've had Swiss players within this club for years and have followed the performance of others in the Bundesliga."
Still, at Werder they have found the balance between respect and self-confodence with trainer Thomas Schaaf demanding the right attitude towards the tie from his men: "We've got to be brave and confident at the same time." An important element could be the recent 5:2 win against Armenia Bielefeld to give the Werder players a little tail-wind. "We know we are favourite, as is always the case when a Swiss side plays a German side. That is not meant to sound cocky, it's just the result you get when you compare the two leagues", explained Torsten Frings, who, like his colleagues, is willing to give his all to play in the Champions League. New defender Naldo commented: "This league (Champions League)is the greatest even for me as a Brazilian. It's the biggest football stage of all for the best teams and everybody wants to be there."
Johnnie Muldoon
