Horst Steffen celebrates a dream start: Werder Bremen outclasses FC Verden 6-0!

Horst Steffen celebrates a dream start: Werder Bremen outclasses FC Verden 6-0!

Just yesterday, Horst Steffen celebrated his debut as coach of Werder Bremen, with a brilliant 6-0 win in the friendly against upper division club FC Verden. When the weather was nice, the green and white team sent 5,500 spectators to the Am Berliner Ring stadium, who cheered on their team in bright sunshine. The goals came in a tightly packed rhythm of play: Amos Pieper scored in the 5th minute, followed by Leon Opitz, Isak Hansen-Aaröen and a double strike from Patrice Covic, who struck in the 49th and 57th minutes. Justin Njinmah rounded off the scoring in the 55th minute. A successful start for the new coach, who was clearly interested in getting his first impressions of his team.

Steffen, who previously worked at SV Elversberg for seven years and is now leading a Bundesliga team for the first time, not only concentrated on tactics in this game, but also rotated all of his players at half-time to give everyone a playing time. This was also the first appearance of new signing Maximilian Wöber, who came on loan from Leeds United. “I wanted to see what we could do,” said Steffen after the game.

Marvin Ducksch creates worry lines

Despite the victory, however, there was a painful setback: striker Marvin Ducksch had to stop training before the game due to a muscle injury in his calf and will be out for several weeks. The 27-year-old was taken off the course in a golf cart, which was also a big challenge for Steffen, as Ducksch is an important part of the team. Other injured players include Marco Friedl, Romano Schmid, Marco Grüll, Felix Agu and Michael Zetterer. Ducksch's failure in particular is a shock for the entire team and the fans who count on the striker.

The first test games are not only a mandatory event to prepare for the season, but also offer Steffen the opportunity to establish his own game idea. “We played with a stable back four in defense for the first time,” explained Steffen, who wants to set the course for the upcoming challenges in the Bundesliga with his decisions.

The look ahead

The upcoming games have also already been decided: The next preparation game will take place on July 19th against Kickers Emden in the regional league. There is also a training camp in the Zillertal from August 22nd to September 1st on the program. Steffen has already signaled that he plans to strengthen his offense with further newcomers in order to rebuild the team following the departures of players such as Milos Veljkovic and Oliver Burke.

“Preparation is crucial and I have great confidence in the remaining core of the team,” Steffen continued. With such optimistic words and a successful start, Werder Bremen could be well on their way to a strong Bundesliga season. What can fans expect? Surprises and of course many exciting games. Let's stay excited!

Further information on developments at Werder Bremen can be found at Sat.1 Regional, daily news and Yahoo Sports.