Double coaching departures at Werder Bremen: alarm mood in the club!

Double coaching departures at Werder Bremen: alarm mood in the club!

The football landscape in northern Germany is facing some exciting changes. SV Werder Bremen has had a successful year, with the women's team comfortably managing to stay in the Bundesliga and reaching the cup final for the first time. The men's team can be proud of eighth place in the league - their best result since promotion, level on points with RB Leipzig, but with a less positive goal difference. But the good news is clouded by the announcement of the two head coaches, Thomas Horsch and Ole Werner, that they are moving to a new club. This raises some questions, and the answers will be of great interest in the coming weeks.

While Horsch announced his departure for the summer, Werner made it clear that he also did not want to stay at Werder beyond the coming season. What is surprising is that both coaches did not have an application from another club when they made their decision. A key role here is played by the feeling of being limited in ideas about modern structures and professional processes. According to inner circles, there are challenges at Werder in terms of scouting and infrastructure, which may be the reason for the decision to move. Time will tell whether this raises alarm bells, but such departures in football are often masked by the anticipation of something new. Like that one Weser courier reports, the club has already parted ways with Werner and hired Horst Steffen, former coach of Elversberg, to bring a breath of fresh air to the men's department.

New enthusiasm for the women's team

SV Werder Bremen has an exciting perspective for the women's team with the appointment of Friederike Kromp as the new head coach. Kromp, who has been coaching Eintracht Frankfurt's U20 in the 2nd league since 2023, brings over 20 years of experience in promoting talent and raises the standards in the professional sector. The conversations between Kromp and Birte Brüggemann, the head of women's and girls' football, were consistently positive and make us optimistic about the future collaboration. Kromp will be the Werder women's first head coach in the Bundesliga and is looking forward to working with adult women at the professional level. The new coach has already celebrated impressive successes, including three European Championship titles with the DFB U17s. Werder Bremen is sure that Kromp will bring a breath of fresh air and enthusiasm to the team.

A look at the coaching landscape in women's football

The search for coaches at other clubs, such as Turbine Potsdam, clearly shows the challenges in women's football. For the new coach, Kurt Russ, the step into women's football is unknown territory, even though he has almost 20 years of experience in the men's game. Surprises in the coaching situation are not uncommon in women's football, and coaches' options are far more limited. A report from rbb24 highlights that only 13 percent of female players in the first two leagues earn more than 2,000 euros gross per month, while men in the third league are ranked significantly higher. This discrepancy could mean that the search for coaches in women's football remains a major challenge, especially since the hire-and-fire mentality is less pronounced here.

It remains to be seen how the departures of Horsch and Werner will affect the sporting situation at Werder Bremen. At the same time, Kromp's inauguration should provide new impetus and take the women's team on an exciting journey into the next season. The anticipation of the challenges to come can be felt among the fans and those responsible. If all goes well, the new coaching team could soon reap the fruits of their labor.