“We would be silly to suddenly change our style of play” | OneFootball

Ole Werner wants to end the first half of the season with a win (Photo: WERDER.DE).

Ole Werner’s press conference before the home game against 1. FC Heidenheim

It’s a busy start to 2025 for SV Werder Bremen. After starting the year with a trip to Leipzig at the weekend, Ole Werner’s men host 1. FC Heidenheim on Wednesday night at 20.:30 CET (15/1/25). The SVW head coach spoke to the media on Tuesday before the game. The 36-year-old discussed…

…the squad: “I’ve only had positive feedback from the boys. Nobody has picked up a knock or an injury. We’ll have fresh and fit players out there.”

…Justin Njinmah: “Justin is an example of the players that we didn’t have available to us before the winter break. His return to full fitness is a process and we have to manage it during training. He’s not an option to the start the game.”

…Issa Kaboré: “He’s a candidate for the starting XI. We’ve got three options out wide. The two wingers that started in Leipzig both played well. I won’t reveal our team today though. Everyone could do well in the starting XI, including Issa.”

…the Leipzig defeat: “We would be silly to suddenly think about changing the style of football that has worked so well for us over the years just because of one game away to RB Leipzig, a team that are so good from counter-attacks. Nevertheless, against sides like that you know every mistake you make will be punished. We matched them in many regards, but not when it came to turnovers of possession and what came from them. We need to have a better structure for when we lose the ball in the middle of the park.”

…opponents Heidenheim: “There are rarely surprises when you play against Heidenheim, which doesn’t mean it’ll be easy, but rather that we know what to expect. They cover a lot of ground, are physical and direct in their play. They have also been able to improve their play in possession but remain dangerous from set pieces too. We have to play to our best and make as few mistakes as possible. We want to end the first half of the season on 28 points, that’s our aim.”

…being favourites for the game: “We have nothing to do with the roles given to us by other people. We never go into a game saying ‘we have to win’ or ‘we can win’, we just say we want to win. We will need some different qualities to the games against Leipzig against Union Berlin.”

…Milos Veljkovic: “Milos is an important player for us both and off the pitch. He’s integral in building up the play from the back and is probably our best centre-back in this regard. He’s somebody that looks after the new players in the dressing room because he speaks a lot of languages. I really enjoy working with him. As far as I know, the club and Milos will speak to each other during the calendar year – his contractual situation has no impact on his performances.”

…Oliver Burke’s late goals: “He’s continuing to work hard and has accepted the role given to him. He's been able to showcase his instincts in front of goal and is particularly valuable to us late on in games.”