“We currently have zero self confidence”

Werder Bremen captain Marco Friedl cut a frustrated and dejected figure following his side’s defeat to St. Pauli earlier today.

The old saying “when it rains, it pours” could not feel more appropriate for Werder right now. Daniel Thioune’s side slumped to a third straight defeat and slipped into the bottom two. It was a particularly difficult afternoon for goalkeeper Mio Backhaus, who endured a rare off day and was especially at fault for St. Pauli’s opener, allowing Hauke Wahl’s header to slip through his hands.

Friedl struggled to process what had unfolded.

“I often have the right words, but today I’m practically speechless because I couldn’t have foreseen the game ending like this,” the visibly disappointed defender admitted after the final whistle. He was particularly frustrated by the manner in which his side conceded both goals.

“We had more of the game in the first half, didn’t allow anything at the back and were dangerous going forward – and then we concede a goal that was completely unexpected,” Friedl said, referencing Wahl’s opener that made it 0-1.

“A goal that wouldn’t be a goal in 50 or 100 cases,” he continued, immediately moving to defend his goalkeeper. “When you make a mistake, it feels like s**t. Mio has played incredibly good games throughout the season and often saved us. These things happen.”

Thioune echoed his captain’s support for the young shot-stopper.

“In a normal world, every goalkeeper saves that,” the Werder head coach admitted candidly, acknowledging where the error lay while stressing there would be no scapegoating. “No one is blaming Mio. He’s very young, he’s having a good season, and we’ll be seeing a lot more of him.”

Instead, Thioune pointed to his team’s lack of cutting edge as the decisive factor.

“If you don’t get the reward you deserve for your efforts, you shouldn’t be looking at the goalkeeper in the 60th minute when he concedes the ball. That doesn’t work in my world.”

The winless streak appears to be taking its toll on the Werder squad, with Friedl admitting the negative effect: “We currently have absolutely no self confidence and it shows. We can’t get the ball in the net up front, and at the back we’re conceding goals from the dumbest situations.” 

The bigger concern for Werder is the broader picture. They are now 13 matches without a win, and confidence appears at rock bottom. The pressure will only intensify next weekend when Heidenheim travel to the Weserstadion for what already feels like a season-defining fixture.