At the end of a turbulent week, the Werder Bremen professionals danced exuberantly in front of their fans. Without national striker Niclas Füllkrug, but with the happiness of the first win of the season, the green-whites celebrated their much-needed liberation.
“We wanted to set an example, and we succeeded,” said Füllkrug’s long-time strike partner Marvin Ducksch after the deserved 4-0 (1-0) win against a shockingly weak FSV Mainz 05.
In the past few days there had only been one topic on the Weser: the change from top scorer Füllkrug to runner-up Borussia Dortmund. While Werder was already considered a relegation candidate by many fans and experts with last season’s top scorer, Bremen’s fate now seemed sealed for many. But the Bremen team showed a reaction that few had expected. In the upcoming international break, they can blow through first.
Filling jug departure “also a chance”
“Of course, as a coach, you also worry when you say goodbye to a player almost every day,” said Werder coach Ole Werner in view of the departures of Füllkrug, Ilia Gruev (Leeds United), Dikeni Salifou (on loan to Juventus Turin). II) and Oliver Burke (Birmingham City). “But it’s also a chance to develop as a team.”
Rafael Borré is said to play a central role in this development of a new Werder team. The filling jug successor, who Werder borrowed from Eintracht Frankfurt for a year, was still missing from the squad. The 27-year-old Colombian only arrived on the Weser on Saturday morning. The striker had even completed the obligatory medical check-up in Frankfurt the day before.
He watched the game from the stands and, together with 41,000 spectators in the Weser Stadium, saw Ducksch convert a penalty kick (3rd minute), Jens Stage (53rd), Leonardo Bittencourt (82nd) and Justin Njinmah (83rd) first Bremen’s victory shot out this season.
Werner is looking forward to Borré: “Absolute team player”
Only after the international break, when he will be active for his native country Colombia, will Borré prove that he can fill the gap that Füllkrug has left both as a goalscorer on the pitch and as a leader in the dressing room. “From everything we’ve heard, he’s an absolute team player who will definitely help us with his qualities,” said Werner. The Bremen coach did not want to overestimate the fact that the hopeful is now in South America and will only get to know his new team with a delay. “We wanted a good player, so you have to take the pill to play for your country.”
The fact that Werder impressively compensated for the departure of the best player against Mainz made those responsible proud. The home side showed great motivation from the start and finally celebrated the joker goals from Bittencourt and Njinmah. “The guys who were on the pitch at the beginning paved the way. Those who came in then decided it. It was a great team success for us,” said Werner.
The longtime goalscorer Füllkrug was almost no longer an issue after the game. Bremen’s managing director Frank Baumann once again justified the change of the national player with the financial constraints of the club. “The focus was on the economic necessity of having to achieve significant transfer surpluses,” said Baumann on Sky. “We managed the mix between economic stability and a competitive team well,” said Baumann, also with a view to the transfers of the two Belgians Senne Lynen and Olivier Deman.
