The Werder defence proved again on Tuesday evening that it can remain compact and solid even against the best teams in the Bundesliga, as Marco Friedl and co. kept the Foals’ attackers at bay for long periods at BORUSSIA-PARK. The young Austrian played a key role in this, commenting on Wednesday: “I feel that we had a good game yesterday apart from the first 20 minutes.”
The narrow 1-0 defeat was naturally still on the 22-year-old’s mind: “It was a bitter loss and it felt bad to leave empty-handed.” However, one big advantage of midweek matches is the chance to redeem yourself and get back on track within a few days, and that’s exactly what Friedl and his teammates are determined to do on Saturday in Berlin.
The solid showing away in Mönchengladbach will give the Werder players a boost to their self-confidence as they prepare for the next game against Hertha. “What we have to do now is keep improving our game and the way that we play,” continues Friedl. The trip to the capital will mark the start of the second half of the 2020/21 campaign - the Rückrunde. “With a couple of exceptions, I thought we defended well,” says the centre-back as he looks back over Tuesday night’s game. “We’ve already dropped a few points where we shouldn’t have done this season though.”
The Austrian defender has played every minute of SVW’s Bundesliga season so far, having established himself as a regular starter under head coach Florian Kohfeldt. “I’m a young player and I feel in top shape. I’m always ready to play for the full 90 minutes,” says the 22-year-old. “My main goal for 2021 is to keep this up and do my best to help the team be successful.” The Austrian is sure to feature again at the weekend, as the Green-Whites take on Bruno Labbadia’s Hertha BSC on Saturday (15:30 CET).
