Werder Bremen head coach Ole Werner demands reaction in the Pokal after Freiburg thrashing | OneFootball

Whereas Freiburg had everything to celebrate following last night’s massive Bundesliga win, Werder Bremen’s Ole Werner made specific demands of his side when speaking to DAZN last night. Bremen defenders Niklas Stark and Amos Pieper joined their coach in speaking to the German broadcaster after suffering their third successive defeat.

“The performance today just wasn’t good enough,” Stark said in his post-match interview. “We deserved to lose. We haven’t worked hard enough in the past few weeks.“

“We can only apologise [to our fans,]” Pieper added. “[The traveling supporters] told us that we have to give everything for our [supporters] block. They’re right.“

Bremen – tapped as a potential European contender at the turn of the calendar year – have only won one of their eight Bundesliga games in 2025. Sitting 12th on 30 points, the dream of qualifying for Europe slips away.

There is nevertheless hope for the northern city-staters in the form of the German Cup. Bremen remain alive in the DFB-Pokal and are set to contest a quarter-final on Tuesday. Werner’s men enter the tie obvious favorites against third-tier side Arminia Bielefeld. Any top-tier club that wins the Pokal qualifies for Europe.

“[My team] made a bad impression [tonight],” Werner said in his interview. “Freiburg didn’t even have to press. We have to be honest. Picking up points in the Bundesliga won’t happen if we keep presenting ourselves like this. It’s a bitter realisation, but it’s the truth. It’s hard to find positives in a 0-5 defeat.

“But there’s a different competition [the Pokal] during the week,” Werner nevertheless continued. “Now it’s time to see how we react. It’s time to show whether we’re a team or not. Right now, when things aren’t going our way.”

GGFN | Peter Weis