“We need to let it sink in first” | OneFootball

Coulibaly and Covic both came off the bench in Frankfurt (Photo: W.DE).

Patrice Covic and Karim Coulibaly on their Bundesliga debuts

When Patrice Covic and Karim Coulibaly were part of the same team that won the U19 DFB-Pokal, they presumably didn’t imagine themselves making their Bundesliga debuts just four months later. Although the disappointing result in the 4-1 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt will cloud the memory of their first game, the duo will surely never forget the special day.

Both players have been chasing their dream of playing in the Bundesliga since childhood. With this goal in mind, Covic swapped Berlin for Bremen in the summer of 2024, while Coulibaly moved to Werder from HSV in the same window. Playing for the Green-Whites’ U19s, the recent debutants had starring roles in the side that reached the semi-finals of the German championship, with both starting in the youth DFB-Pokal final as Werder triumphed 2-0 over Karlsruher SC.

Now, the skills of Werder’s up-and-coming talents are no longer being confined to the youth set-up, with six of the cup winners being involved in SVW’s first team during this summer’s pre-season preparations. Coulibaly and Covic both shone in the friendlies and subsequently earned the trust of head coach Horst Steffen. “We can be very happy that we’ve got two top young talents at our disposal. They both already have enough quality to play Bundesliga football.”

“You wouldn’t have known that it was their Bundesliga debut”

One of the players facing Covic and Coulibaly was World Cup winner Götze (Photo: W.DE).

Covic had already made his first competitive appearance in the starting XI that lost 1-0 to Arminia Bielefeld in the DFB-Pokal, and in Frankfurt the winger was joined by Coulibaly as the pair ticked off a huge part of their lifelong dream. The fact that the duo would still be eligible to play for the U19s this season highlights their considerable talent. “You wouldn’t have known that it was their Bundesliga debut,” praised Werder’s managing director for sport, Clemens Fritz. “The way they already look so comfortable is incredible. We’ve always been clear that we want players to develop here.”

By contrast, the players themselves weren’t quite as thrilled, with the final result against Eintracht Frankfurt diminishing the occasion for them. “I’m still glad to have made my debut and happy that we could enjoy our first Bundesliga game together,” said Coulibaly, talking to WERDER.DE. His teammate Covic went on: “We can’t ignore the disappointment, as we came here with very different expectations as to how the game would go. To play in this kind of environment is something special. We need to let it sink in first and then we can be happy about it.”