SIf Ole Werner should at some point look back on his coaching career and be asked how he managed to get promoted back in Bremen in the 2021/22 season, he could answer in one sentence: “I had the two ugly birds.”
It is permissible to describe Niclas Füllkrug and Marvin Ducksch somewhat disparagingly as unattractive poultry – the expression comes from Füllkrug. The two strikers gave Werder a pretty good season: 40 of Bremen’s 65 goals were scored by Füllkrug and Ducksch and helped the SVW to repair the relegation accident as quickly as possible.
Your last pranks for the time being were the goals to 2-0 against Jahn Regensburg on the 34th matchday. Werder climbed up as second behind FC Schalke 04 – Ole Werner not only played a large part in this thanks to his calmness and perseverance. It was he who let Ducksch and Füllkrug play together from the start since he took over the coaching position from Markus Anfang in November 2021. It is already an exciting question as to whether Werder’s strike duo will also be allowed to fly together in the Bundesliga. Both have so far failed to prove their suitability in the House of Lords.
While Werder was able to go into celebration mode early on with the goals in the tenth and 51st minute and finally reconciled the crowd in the sold-out Weser Stadium for the evil 2020/21 series, Hamburger SV would not be HSV if they had not organized a drama in Rostock. The fact that Hamburg ended up winning 3-2 at the Ostseestadion was a reflection of the season – and a sign of the resilience that characterizes this team under coach Tim Walter.
HSV in the relegation against Hertha
Laid back, ran up, seemed to be guided safely and yet trembled again at the end: HSV doesn’t make it below that, although the long-suffering fans of this northern club were certainly in agreement that, unlike in the previous three seasons, it wasn’t fourth place that jumped out, but third place
Late Hamburger Freude: Third place secured, chance of promotion preserved
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Image: Reuters
Now it’s on Thursday and Monday in the relegation against Hertha BSC Berlin (8.30 p.m. / in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga, on Sky and Sat.1). And the explosiveness of this duel could hardly be greater, as Felix Magath, as Hertha coach, has to try to overthrow HSV – the club he shot to the European champions’ cup in 1983.
He also coached his favorite club at the end of the 90s and in the recent past has repeatedly flirted with a managerial position at HSV. Which didn’t happen, which upset Magath.
In Rostock, the legs of the Hamburg pros seemed very heavy at first. Especially when Neidhart made it 1-0 for Hansa (13th minute). HSV tried their hand at possession football, but only managed to equalize in the 50th minute: Robert Glatzel’s 22nd goal of the season. Hamburg pressed now, and captain Schonlau in the 75th minute and Mikkel Kaufmann ten minutes later made the HSV fans cheer.
In added time, however, Fröde made Hamburg tremble again. But the 3:2 endured – the fifth win in a row for Walter’s team. A series that no one would have thought possible after the 0-1 draw in Kiel on the 29th matchday. And that was enough for third place.
