Black Friday hits Werder as friendly turns into harsh lesson

On a cold Friday night in Dortmund, Werder Bremen opened their fifth Bundesliga round with a friendly against Dutch side Twente Enschede, a match the club labelled a Black Friday test. Images by IMAGO/DeFodi captured the Werderaner squad as they walked onto the pitch, unaware of the disaster to come.

A crushing lesson in Dortmund

The friendly quickly turned into a 0‑7 drubbing, a result trainer Daniel Thioune described as a "Denkzettel" – a stark lesson for the club. He announced that, as a consequence, the scheduled free training day would be cancelled. The defeat highlighted the gap between Werder's Bundesliga ambitions and the quality of the Eredivisie opponent, who sit fourth in their league.

Halftime shock and player reactions

Striker Niclas Füllkrug voiced his disbelief at the Halbzeit break, saying: "Das ist alles Wahnsinn hier!" At that point Werder were already trailing 0‑6 against the Eredivisie side. The early onslaught left the Werderaner players rattled and forced Thioune to confront the team's attitude in the dressing room.

Injury woes and aftermath

Peter Niemeyer, Werder's head of professional football, warned that such performances cannot be presented as the club's standard, urging the squad to clear their heads and work on the shortcomings. He added that the club had expected a step forward, not a step back.

The starting eleven featured Kolke, Pieper, Stark, Wójcik, Arthur, Regeer, Felix Agu, Reis, Weiser, Chuki and Niclas Füllkrug, reflecting the available senior players who claim the right to play in the Bundesliga.

Further concerns emerged when Felix Agu, returning after more than two months out, was forced off just before the Halbzeit. Thioune explained: "I received the signal from him shortly before halftime that he could not continue. It appears to be another muscular issue, and we could not keep him on the pitch longer." The injury adds to Werder's growing list of fitness problems.

With the free training day now removed, the club faces a tight schedule ahead of their next Bundesliga fixture, needing to address both the tactical deficiencies exposed by Twente and the lingering injury doubts surrounding Agu.