Marco Friedl had missed the previous four SV Werder games after suffering a syndesmosis ligament tear. The club captain was at that point in extremely good form and had made a vital contribution to his side’s upturn in form around the start of the year. The fact that Friedl returned earlier than expected in the game against VfL Wolfsburg will give his team a boost for the challenges ahead.
The Austrian was able to complete the full 90 minutes after a lot of individual training sessions in the last few weeks. With his side playing with ten men, Friedl ran a total of 9.5 kilometres and pushed his pain threshold to the limit. “It was hard work out there today. After 70 minutes I was already pretty exhausted after five weeks without training with the team,” said the 26-year-old. “For me it’s now about recovery and being on it again on Friday to show another side of the team.”
Particularly when both sides had the same number of players on the pitch, Werder’s number 32 showed the stability he can bring to the Green-Whites’ defence. Before the red card, SVW had kept a good footballing side in Wolfsburg largely quiet. “He’s solid, is a leader and is having a great season,” said his defensive colleague Milos Veljkovic. “We’re pleased to have him back.”
Friedl’s importance isn’t just restricted to his quality on the pitch. “He’s incredibly important for us, not only in a footballing sense but also as a leader and a personality,” said head coach Ole Werner. “Every player who’s unavailable is missing a bit of sharpness in training. It only takes a few to be missing for us to really feel it.” The suspended Jens Stage, Senne Lynen and Mitchell Weiser will at least return for the upcoming away game at Eintracht Frankfurt on 5th April 2024 at 20:30 CEST.
