"The deciding factor is what happens on the pitch" | OneFootball

Werder are hoping to get back to winning ways after suffering four defeats in February (Photo: WERDER.DE).

Press conference ahead of home game against VfL Wolfsburg

SV Werder Bremen are eager to get back to winning ways on Saturday, as they prepare to host VfL Wolfsburg (15:30 CET). Hear what head coach Ole Werner had to say at the pre-match press conference about…

…being knocked out of the DFB-Pokal: "We've analysed the game and spoke about it yesterday. It's a more emotional process compared to a league game, because you know that your journey in the competition is over. You could tell that everyone was aware yesterday that we let the opportunity slip away from us. But, we have another game coming up two days from now and we have to prepare for it."

…Julian Malatini: "We gave him some space yesterday because he was clearly still down after the game. I will meet with him today, and he obviously knows that he didn't play well. However, we weren't eliminated due to the performance of one player – it was a collective failure. Looking back on it, the experience will help him improve and grow stronger as a player."

…the impact it had on him personally: "I've been thinking of nothing but Werder for more than three years. Of course we prefer to be winning games, which we haven't been doing lately. It's my job to work with the team and to prepare them as best as possible, as well as finding ways for us to achieve positive results."

…dealing with the defeat: "There are many things that come up when you're not getting many positive results. I don't mind when things are addressed harshly, but it has to happen in a way where, two or three days later, we're all willing to work as a team again. The key thing is to grow closer and to perform as a team on the pitch. At the moment, we're spending a lot of time talking about things, but the deciding factor is what happens on the pitch."

…addressing the issues: "If we don't manage to address any issues, then the odds of us winning any games aren't good. The topics that are being discussed now aren't anything new. I've been working on them for two and half years and they haven't prevented us from being successful. The important thing is that we remember that we have been able to change things that haven't worked in the past."

…the atmosphere at the stadium on Saturday: "I hope that the fans will be there supporting us the same way they always do. It's important that everyone knows that we can only do it together, even if everyone had thought that we'd already taken a big step forward. Especially in our current situation, we need the same level of support as we have in every game. The key thing is that we also do something to deserve it. We need to fight hard, something that we did too late in Bielefeld."

… VfL Wolfsburg: "They have a lot of quality, both on an individual level and as a team. They have made progress as a team since we faced them earlier this season and always look for the most direct route to goal. We need to be disciplined in defence while also finding opportunities to make the most of our possession. We also need to make sure that we have enough people behind the ball at all times, because they are very strong in transition."

…Mio Backhaus: "First thing I'm going to do is go upstairs and see what's going on with Zetti. Everyone has to be prepared to play, which Mio is. He does everything you'd expect a back-up goalkeeper to do and that's part of the responsibilities. Nevertheless, I hope that Zetti will be back on the pitch tomorrow and that he will be able to play on Saturday."