Florian Kohfeldt shows his critics a reaction of defiance. The victory in Freiburg is a first step for the coach and Werder Bremen. But Kohfeldt holds back his emotions after the enormously significant success. There are others who are handing out.
Freiburg (dpa) - Florian Kohfeldt did not settle with his critics. He didn't even show him his relief at the 1-0 win at SC Freiburg.
Immediately after the final whistle, the Werder Bremen coach hid his face behind a green mask with the imprint "Teamgeist". Kohfeldt hurried into the catacombs of the almost empty Black Forest stadium. He found a quiet corner and sat on a chair. There he was silently happy. Nobody noticed it. Kohfeldt later said that he did this out of "self-protection". "Because, of course, I would have liked to hug one or the other, but that is not possible in these times."
These times are unusual for the 37-year-old not only because of the coronavirus pandemic. Kohfeldt has been fighting relegation with the Bremen team for months. The young coach and his team had been waiting for a victory in the Bundesliga for months. And then earlier Werder idols like Rune Bratseth or Dieter Burdenski attacked him publicly. But Kohfeldt did not use their names shortly after their first league success in 126 days. He felt no personal satisfaction, he said: "It is not about me."
After his emotional press conference before the game, Kohfeldt in Breisgau remained as clear and factual as if nothing had happened. He had previously admitted that the criticism had "hurt" him, but despite the acute risk of relegation he still considered himself the ideal Werder coach: "I see that I am still the best in this position . " Some wondered if that wasn't quite arrogant. The former Bremen manager Willi Lemke found this statement "totally uninhibited". Kohfeldt and his team withstood the immense pressure in Freiburg. And his satisfaction about it shimmered through something.
"It felt like we were gone in the public eye after Monday," said Kohfeldt, referring to the 1-4 defeat to restart against Bayer Leverkusen. "We didn't want to endure that." Like his coach, the team showed a reaction of defiance in front of the ghost backdrop in Breisgau. Werder started the game with high intensity, the hosts did not cope well with the interplay between high pressing and grabbing from the center line. Leonardo Bittencourt (19 minutes) rewarded the committed opening phase with a long-range shot after a fine presentation by Davy Klaassen.
Kohfeldt roared his joy on the sidelines. The tireless trainer was constantly tigering around in his coaching zone and shouting instructions on the field. But shortly before the end, Kohfeldt also fell into a state of shock. After a post shot from ex-Bremen's Nils Petersen, Manuel Gulde dusted off in the 89th minute to 1-1. A typical Werder setback, it couldn't have been more bitter, perhaps Kohfeldt thought. Until the video assistant intervened. Petersen was slightly offside, so referee Robert Hartmann took the goal back. A few minutes later, Kohfeldt sat in his chair and was happy.
He then left the clear words to others. Without being asked, his Freiburg colleague Christian Streich sent a message to Kohfeldt's critics. "When I have seen, heard and read what some people, former Bremen players and so-called experts have let go, I have to say that it is impossible," said Streich. "I have to say if these people don't even think before they talk about things in the microphones." Maybe Kohfeldt was also happy about it.
