Before Werder against Wolfsburg: Coach Werner is compared to Heynckes
Created: 04/08/2022, 18:40
By: Bjorn Knips
Werder Bremen coach Ole Werner (right) is the same age as Jupp Heynckes (left) when he makes his Bundesliga debut on Saturday: 34 years, three months and two days.
© gumzmedia/Imago Images/Jan Huebner
SV Werder Bremen will start the new Bundesliga season on Saturday (from 3.30 p.m. in the live ticker) with an away game at VfL Wolfsburg.
The preliminary report of the DeichStube!
Bremen – When he was then compared to Jupp Heynckes,
Ole Werner
, who was otherwise so quick-witted, first tried to gain time.
"Now I have to be careful what I say," said the
SV Werder Bremen
coach , smiled a little embarrassed and then added appreciatively: "If it's really like that: well researched, hats off!" The promised commented at the matchday press conference that Werner at the age of 34 years, three months and two days will be the same age as Heynckes was when he made his Bundesliga debut on Saturday (from 3.30 p.m. in the
DeichStube live
ticker) against
VfL Wolfsburg
, and then asked: “Could such a career path something for you too?”
Welcome to the
Bundesliga
, where comparisons with the big names in the industry are part of the daily routine.
It is not so easy for newcomers to always find the right words and not to make unwanted headlines, which then cause a stir not only regionally but also nationwide.
But
Ole Werner
could rely on his sober, factual approach.
"You can't make a comparison like that.
Jupp Heynckes has shaped football for decades - as a player and as a coach.
I'm still a long way from that." He prefers to concentrate on "the best possible job for
Werder Bremen
to do and to be there for my team in order to then write our own success stories together - and at first those are different from the ones that Jupp Heynckes is known for".
Werder Bremen coach Ole Werner before the game against VfL Wolfsburg: "We are definitely the outsiders"
With which
Ole Werner
also indirectly named the goal of the season – staying up in the league.
But he didn't dwell on this topic for long.
As a climber, it is clear that the first thing to do is prevent relegation.
But the question is how this is to be done.
And the start on Saturday at
VfL Wolfsburg
could provide the first answers.
Unlike the cup game in Cottbus.
Werner had only briefly analyzed the 2-1 win at the regional league because
Werder Bremen
were the favorites there.
"We're definitely the outsiders this time," said Ole Werner.
VfL Wolfsburg
, where ex-Bremer Max Kruse also plays, has an “extraordinary quality” for the
Bundesliga
,
in terms of individual class, but also the breadth of the squad.
In addition, the handwriting of the new coach Niko Kovac is already clearly recognizable: a high, aggressive pressing in order to achieve dominance.
According to Ole Werner
, Kovac has had
great success in all his stations - with the Croatian national team, Eintracht Frankfurt, FC Bayern and AS Monaco.
But with all due respect, Werner and his team have no intention of hiding when Werder returns to the Bundesliga in Wolfsburg.
"We're trying to bring as many of our strengths to the pitch as possible," announced the coach.
Werder Bremen
want to have the ball themselves and control the game – like in the 2nd division.
Werder Bremen coach Ole Werner before the game against VfL Wolfsburg: "It's about achieving the club's goals"
It won't be easy.
But
Ole Werner
has prepared intensively for his rise and that of his club.
"I've already explored what's different in the league in one-on-one talks with experienced players." It wasn't just about sporting things, but also about the atmosphere.
For example, what happens in the environment when things don't go well?
Personally, however, Werner does not want to get to know this reality so quickly.
Of course he hopes for a positive start.
And he might not have objected to this comparison with
Jupp Heynckes : he started his career as a
Bundesliga
coach in
1979 with a 1-1 draw against FC Schalke 04 .
For Werner that would certainly not be a bad result for a start at
VfL Wolfsburg
.
But the 34-year-old simply doesn't like this focus on himself: "It's not about me, it's just about achieving the goals of the club and the team.
That's what I work for." (kni)