Werder continues to rely on coach Viktor Skripnik. Photo: Joerg Sarbach
(Photo: dpa)
At the same time, Baumann also made clear announcements to the Ukrainian, who only secured his place in the Bundesliga with Werder on the last day of the game. “Viktor Skripnik is the best possible coach for Werder Bremen,” said Baumann on the one hand. The facial expressions and gestures of the native Franconian remained noticeably Nordic cool. The 40-year-old former Werder captain, who won the double of the cup and championship for Bremen as a player with Skripnik in 2004, did not hide the demands he has on Skripnik.
“In the critical analysis, we found things that did not go optimally,” said Baumann, adding: “We have formulated clear expectations. The expectation for Viktor is that he focuses on developing the team.”
The 46-year-old Ukrainian is accused internally of having set up many unnecessary construction sites. Skripnik is also blamed for the difficult relationship with the media. “He certainly didn’t always behave happily,” confirmed Baumann, who, unlike his predecessor Eichin, initially wants to go further with Skripnik.
The contract with the coach, which is still valid until 2017, is to be extended “in due course”. The Werder supervisory board headed by Marco Bode had separated from Eichin because he is said to have demanded that Skripnik leave the company. The fact that there was no clear commitment to the coach until Baumann’s official presentation on Friday showed on the one hand the actually difficult position of the sometimes brittle to unfriendly Ukrainian. On the other hand, Baumann should announce the decision himself in order to strengthen his position.
In the pre-Eichin period, Baumann had not yet dared to take on the role at the forefront. This has now changed, as Baumann’s courageous appearance made clear. “It’s not my goal to celebrate staying in the league as if we had won the Champions League,” said Baumann, who himself was a player during the very successful Werder period under coach Thomas Schaaf and manager Klaus Allofs. Bode had the vague hope on Friday that now that only former Werder players are in active positions again, the club is getting back to where it used to be. “I keep my fingers crossed for him to lead the club back to a more successful future. I am convinced that he will succeed,” said Bode about Baumann.
The personal details of Jannik Vestergaard show how far the reality is from this wishful thinking. Not long ago, Werder Borussia Mönchengladbach bought away hopeful players like Marko Marin, and now Werder apparently has no chance against Borussia in the struggle for Vestergaard. “There is an agreement between him and Borussia Mönchengladbach,” said Baumann, who still wants to fight for the guarantor in the fight against relegation. “But I’m not sure I can change his mind again.” A departure of the Danish central defender should be sweetened with a good ten million euros in transfer fee.
