Schaaf: “We need to reassess the squad”

With a hot cup of coffee and plenty of time on his hands, Thomas Schaaf was prepared for a longer session than usual as he faced the questions of the gathered journalists on Monday. The Werder coach had had two days to sit back calmly and consider the consequences of the ‘Million-Dollar-Match’ in Leverkusen.

Thomas Schaaf commented on…

…the team:
“What the team achieved is fantastic. You really shouldn’t forget that we have quite a young team. Players like Mertesacker, Diego, Naldo and Almeida may all appear 35 – and sometimes I have to take a second look myself to check their ages – but they are all just young lads who are still developing.”

…the strengths and weaknesses displayed in the recently ended season:
“We are quite an exceptional team so far as shots on goal and the manner in which we play football is concerned, but we want to improve upon that. It was often too easy for our opponents to score goals against us this season. There are some things which still need optimising.”

…future transfer activities:
“We need to assess the squad. It’s clear that there are two players, who have proven their quality with top performances, that are leaving the club and it is becoming increasingly difficult to pad out the squad with players who will help us on the level which we are on. The number of such players does not exceed the demand from clubs who are pushing to sign them and so the sums involved are forced upwards. You can’t just get involved in every race though. It needs to be sensible as well as serious and the players need to be people who fit into our set-up. I hope to be able to continue to work along the lines of our philosophy. We want to be able to bring international players here in the future, develop them, bring them on and help them to achieve an identity.”

source: werder.de

Botafogo secure loan deal for Carlos Alberto

With all of the formalities in Brazil finally completed, last Saturday, 17.06.2008, Carlos Alberto was able to make his debut appearance in the league championship for Botafogo Rio de Janeiro. In a 0:1 defeat to Cruzeiro Belo Horizonte, the 23 year old midfielder was selected to play in the starting eleven.

“It’s positive for us that Carlos can now play for Botafogo. It’s important that he regains full health and that he can gather some match practice,” commented Werder Bremen’s general manager Klaus Allofs following the completion of the transfer to 1995 Brazilian champions Botafogo, and the Werder manager is convinced the move is a sensible one: “I’m quite sure that things will work out better for him at Botafogo than they did at FC Sao Paulo as he is able to partake in the championship from the very beginning.”

Allofs went on to explain the positive aspects of the deal from the Werder point of view: “We will definitely profit from it. Either he will be able to make a new start following his loan deal with Botafogo, or he will tweak the interest of some other clubs.” The loan deal between Botafogo and Werder Bremen is valid until 30.06.2009.

source: werder.de

‚Diego & Friends‘ turn on the style in Essen

With a fantastic final phase, on Monday evening, the team ‘Diego & Friends’ mesmerised the fans at the Beach-Soccer charity game as they took on the challenge of the German national beach soccer team. On the banks of the Baldeney Lake in Essen, the Brazilian’s Diego, Naldo, Dede and Rafinha were joined by Werder full-back Patrick Owomoyela, as well as a few other friends, to eventually turn a very entertaining display of football on its head.

Down 1:2 going into the final third of the match, the South American selection, coached by Werder trainer Thomas Schaaf, eventually ran out 4:2 winners against ‘Team Germany’. Top scorer on the day, Naldo (2), won the hearts of the extremely impressed spectators. Diego himself caught the eye of the crowd as he notched up the goal of the day, driving the ball into the top corner of the net from 14 meters out. The real winners on the day though were the kids from the project ‘Gol Amigo – education for all’. The Brazilian initiative, which Diego has been supporting for many years now, was delighted to receive a check for €6,000.

source: werder.de