Winning away from home three times and not conceding a goal – that hasn’t happened at Werder Bremen for a long time. 42 years to be exact. But coach Ole Werner left the statistics rather cold after the 1-0 win at 1. FC Köln.
“This has happened before? Then it’s not so historic,” he said at the “DAZN” microphone. What was more important to Werner were the three points and the “good overall” performance.
Nevertheless, the last time Werder were so stable away from home was in the early 1980s – under Otto Rehhagel. So where does the recovery come from after a bumpy first half of the season? “I think it’s a development, a process,” said Werner: “We had big changes in the squad late in the summer, everything had to fall into place, now the boys are being rewarded.”
And suddenly you are in seventh place, thanks to four wins from five games in the second half of the season. The European Cup could become an issue on the Weser, Werner’s team should have nothing to do with the relegation battle given the away wins in Munich, Mainz and Cologne (1-0 each). “It’s the 22nd matchday – no time to look at the table yet,” said Werner calmly.
However, after another win against bottom team Darmstadt 98 next Saturday, things could finally turn to the future. Werder can then extend their away series on March 3rd at TSG Hoffenheim. Another clean sheet win and Werner’s team would actually have made club history.
Werner-Joker stings
Goalscorer Justin Njinmah also dreams of this. “Our only view is upwards,” said the Werder striker, supporting himself on crutches. His foot was thickly packed with ice and he had received a painful kick in the final phase. “It’s not that bad,” he said, smiling.
Njinmah had already scored the decisive goal in the first leg, at the Weser Stadium, one minute after coming on as a substitute to make it 2-1, this time he needed four minutes. Werner substituted him in the 66th minute in both games.
“I didn’t even think about that anymore,” said Werner: “Now I notice it too. What’s important is that the guys who come off the bench are there straight away. Justin did well from the start. ” And at the back there is a zero thanks to defensive discipline. “It’s a lot of fun at the moment, our defenders are defending it well,” praised match winner Njinmah.