Head coach Daniel Thioune and sporting director Clemens Fritz have defended SV Werder Bremen's massive squad overhaul following a poor start to the season. The club sits in 15th place in the Bundesliga with zero points after a 1:4 opening day loss in Freiburg, already three points behind leaders Bayern Munich. This was reported by buten un binnen this week. Thioune asked for a chance for himself and the team amidst the current critical mood. "Geben Sie mir und der Mannschaft die Chance, es allen zu zeigen. Ich merke auch, wie kritisch gerade alles ist," said the Werder coach.

What is the current situation?

The stats after one matchday are sobering. Werder Bremen has scored one goal but conceded four, resulting in a negative goal difference of minus three. Daniel Thioune's team must now travel to face 7th-placed 1. FC Köln on September 12 to secure the first points of the season. The full schedule can be viewed on our fixtures page. This difficult start comes against the backdrop of an extremely young and changed squad. Between September 2025 and September 2026, the club recorded more than 20 arrivals and departures. However, only five of the 14 new signings were loans. Werder holds a purchase option for two of these loan players.

Why is Werder relying on so many loan players?

Clemens Fritz, the 45-year-old sporting director, pointed to the club's financial realities. Werder Bremen relies on selling players for millions each year. This limits their options in the transfer market. "Jeder darf seine Meinung haben. Aber wir können nur das umsetzen, was wir an Möglichkeiten zur Verfügung haben," explained Fritz. Players like Arthur, Moussa Ndiaye, and Youri Regeer were last-minute transfers completed after the season had already started. Arthur, for instance, cannot be kept long-term and will return to Bayer Leverkusen after one year. The returns of Niclas Füllkrug and Eren Dinkci were emotional, as they are products of the club's own youth academy.

Is the squad really poorly equipped?

Fritz and Thioune see it differently. The director emphasized that the squad is not as badly equipped as publicly discussed. He pointed to young players who could create value and to enough homegrown Bremen players like Füllkrug and Marco Friedl forming a stable axis. He views the squad as competitive and developable. Thioune admitted he currently cannot refute critical voices with performance. But he could say the team is ready to want to go, make distance, and achieve goals. The coach sees the current constellation as a chance to develop something from the situation. The current league table is available in our standings.

Are there parallels to last season?

The starting point does recall the previous campaign. Back then, Werder had comparable injury problems, transfer debates, and a season opener debacle. In the first match of last season, they trailed Bayer Leverkusen 1:3 and played the second half with fewer men. However, then 18-year-old Karim Coulibaly scored a 3:3 equalizer in stoppage time. The bad mood was overcome by a green-and-white celebration. Whether such moments will repeat with this new team is not yet clear. Injuries to Mitchell Weiser (cruciate ligament tear) and Jens Stage (thigh tendon tear) from the past year continue to impact planning. An overview of the first-team squad is on our squad page.

Werder Bremen's next opportunity to convince on the pitch is on September 12, 2026, in the away match at Cologne.