Torsten Frings is a key performer for Bremen. This season, however, his appearances for the Hanseatics have been limited by a string of injuries.
Ahead of the clash with Karlsruher SC, Frings was in the wars again. Having completed training, the 31-year-old German international was ruled out of Saturday’s game with an injury to his right ankle.
Frings spoke with bundesliga.de about his own situation and Werder’s attempt to requalify for the Champions League…
bundesliga.de: Herr Frings, aside from losing to Duisburg, Bremen have been on the up again over the past month, and are currently second in the table. What’s made the difference?
Torsten Frings: We had a very good first half-season, but lost the plot a bit at the start of the year. We’ve managed to get things back under control again over the past few weeks. After going out of the DFB and UEFA cups, we had more time to train together and work on certain aspects, and that has done us good.
bundesliga.de: You scored a great goal in the 2-1 win at Hansa Rostock – your first league goal since November 2006. How important was that for you?
Frings: A goal like that is always something special, for sure. The last time I hit one like that was against Costa Rica in the 2006 World Cup opener. But this one was extra special in light of my long-term injury. I’ve not had a good year, with all these injuries. So to net a goal like that in one of my first games back was all the nicer. It shows that the self-belief is there.
bundesliga.de: Have you got over your knee problems?
Frings: Yes, I’ve done a lot of muscle-system training over the past few months to protect and take the strain off the knee. I now do special exercises before each training session and every game. Hopefully, there will be no more problems in that department.
bundesliga.de: Werder travel to Karlsruher SC on Saturday. What sort of a reception can you expect there?
Frings: Karlsruhe have been proving all season that they’re capable of pulling off good results. They came up last season, and haven’t had to worry at any point since about going down again. They’re one of the surprise packages of the season. We’ll need to up our game on our most recent performaces and remain focussed from back to front. Looking at the table, and our first meeting of the season, we go into the game as favourites. Our goal has to be to win it.
bundesliga.de: Football fans across Germany – Bayern supporters excepted – will have their fingers crossed for you. Because if Bremen lose and Schalke don’t win at Hamburg, Bayern could wrap up the title early by beating Stuttgart on Sunday. Is that an extra motivation to win at Karslruhe?
Frings: That’s irrelevant. We have our own goals. We want back into the Champions League, and a win at the weekend would be a big step in that direction, with our closests rivals meeting at the same time.
bundesliga.de: You then have games against Cottbus, Hamburg, Hannover and Leverkusen. That’s a few tough nuts still to be cracked on the way to second place in the final table. Not exactly a walk in the park…
Frings: No-one at Bremen is anticipating a walk in the park when it comes to qualifying for the Champions League. It was a tough hurdle the last four seasons, too, but one we always managed to negotiate. That experience has made us stronger. We have no intention of giving up second place, and can make good on that above all in the games with our direct competitors.
bundesliga.de: There’s quite a crowd chasing the Champions League slots. Werder, Schalke, Hamburg, Stuttgart and Leverkusen are all still in contention. Did you reckon with so much competition at the start of the season?
Frings: It’s nothing out of the ordinary. I don’t see any surprising names fighting it out at the top. All of those sides will have started the season aiming for a place in Europe.
bundesliga.de: Bayern are surely heading for the title now, or do you think there could still be an upset there?
Frings: Bayern will take the title because they’ve been the most consistent team this season.
bundesliga.de: Once the league’s over, it will be time for most players to go on holiday. But not for you. Are you already looking forward to EURO 2008?
Frings: The finals of a competition like that are a real season highlight to look forward to, for sure.
bundesliga.de: How far can Germany go in the tournament?
Frings: Our team has the capability to win it. But we’re one of a number of teams in with a real chance alongside Italy, France, Spain and the Netherlands.
source: bundesliga.de
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