A welcome return to the Werder lineup for Marco Friedl | OneFootball

Werder Bremen supporters were greeted with a wonderful sight on Saturday afternoon.

The club announced the starting lineup ahead of their match against Holstein Kiel, and in it was Marco Friedl. It was the first time their captain was in the first-eleven since January 31st.

The news wasn’t a surprise or anything, as everyone knew Friedl had fully recovered from his recent injury during the international break. Fans were expecting to see him make his long-awaited return, and manager Ole Werner didn’t disappoint.

It’s clear that the centerback is a key part of Bremen’s present and future, and he showcased that once again on Saturday.

A calming presence

Friedl was named in a back-three alongside Amos Pieper and Niklas Stark, and things instantly looked better than they had before.

Werder were a mess defensively without their captain. They conceded a remarkable 17 goals in five matches, only keeping a single clean sheet in that time. Defenders struggled to track their runners, handle 1v1 situations, and organize themselves.

The rest of the roster isn’t that bad, per se, but Bremen lacked a true #1 centerback. They needed someone to be in charge, take control of things, and lead the backline. That changed with Friedl on the pitch.

The defense seemed more in control of the situation. Granted they were up against bottom-dwellers in Kiel, but there was a certain calmness that was lacking before. When the Austrian got on the ball he was directing traffic, laying off passes to others at certain angles to keep everything moving along.

Defensively, there was a greater commitment to getting back and sticking to your man. There weren’t any miscommunications, or unmarked forwards that ran into vacated spaces. Each centerback knew where and who they were defending, and they did it well.

The bulk of their work was dealing with crosses and clearing the ball away from danger. Friedl had seven clearances on his own, four of which being with his head. He won four out of his five duels, adding an interception and a block to his stat sheet on the afternoon.

His impact was bigger than any single stat, though. The simple fact that he was back there boosted the morale and the confidence of those around him. He’s the club captain for a reason, and the team arguably only goes as far as he takes them.

Contract crossroads

Friedl’s return and subsequent performance comes at a really important time.

The centerback does not have much longer on his contract. His deal expires at the end of next season, and there’s been discussions between him and the club on what the future has in store.

As much as Bremen love having him around, they don’t want their captain going into next year with an expiring contract. They’re at a crossroads. Management either needs him to sign an extension or put him up for sale this summer to get some money back from his departure.

Friedl spoke about the situation a bit post-match, talking about how he’s in discussion with Werder in terms of the future and what direction both sides want to go in, according to DeichStube. It wasn’t the most promising update, but there’s still plenty of time to figure things out.

If supporters of the Green-Whites were in charge, the defender would be getting a 5-year-deal for as much money as he wants. They would potentially throw in a statue, too.

However, Friedl is only human. He’s playing at a high-level, and he deserves to be competing for trophies and in European competitions. While Bremen have shown glimpses of growth, they've failed to put it all together, and the player’s patience might be running thin.

For now, though, Werder are going to enjoy Marco Friedl while they have him.