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Captain back in action

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Marco Friedl in conversation with Michael Zetterer.
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The referee shows the dumbfounded Marco Friedl a red card.
After what was deemed a foul as the last defender, Friedl was suspended for two matches (Photo: W.DE).

During the week, the Austrian was working hard with his teammates as usual, but after the final training session before the weekend, he could only offer them words of encouragement. Now, once again, he has a match to look ahead to at the end of his week. “I am the captain so I have to set an example. For that reason, I always try to prepare myself the best I can with the boys for every game,” said Friedl, on reflection. “It was obviously very different for me mentally, so I am pleased that the current training week is only a short one so I can get back to playing quickly.”

After picking up eight points from their first five matches, head coach Ole Werner’s side can look back on a very solid start to the 2024/25 Bundesliga season. The upcoming international break will offer the first chance for reflection and for evaluations to be drawn. “We really wanted to win going into the game, because we knew that we would then have a good start behind us,” judged captain Friedl. “The fixture list handed us a tricky start. We’ve still got some tough challenges ahead of us, which is why every point is important, but we’ve realised how we want to play and know that we can beat any opponent when we work together as a team on that pitch.”

“To be honest, I was really surprised”

One of those challenges will certainly come in the form of SC Freiburg, who have one point more than SVW so far. Last season marked the end of Christian Streich’s almost 13-year coaching tenure in Freiburg, with his assistant and former player Julian Schuster taking over the reins on the touchline. “It’s quite different when a coach has been there for so long that the team now has to find its feet under a different coach,” explained Friedl, looking on. “The 3-0 defeat against a newly-promoted side won’t have been too pleasing, so we know they will arrive in Bremen with real determination. For that reason, we will need to play like we did during the last 78 minutes in Sinsheim.”

The 26-year-old gained a further boost during the week, when he received a call-up to Ralf Rangnick’s Austria national team squad for their upcoming round of fixtures. After an extended period without being nominated, despite some strong performances, Friedl is now able to look forward to going on international duty again following the Freiburg game. “To be honest, I was really surprised – that was not something I was expecting,” said the player with five international caps to his name, although he has not seen much Bundesliga action of late due to the suspension. “I have always made it clear that it is my intention to consistently be in the squad and compete to play matches. Nevertheless, my full concentration right now is on Freiburg. After that, I will go and enjoy playing with the national team and try to give the best showing that I can.”

“To be honest, I was really surprised”

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