
Gerardo Seoane on…
… the return of Robert Andrich: He was able to do 70 to 80 per cent of the training session today so we limited the intensity to a certain extent. Now we'll have to see how his body reacts. If all goes well this week he will be available again at the weekend.
…. possible reasons for the defeat against FC Augsburg: In the most general sense it's about making the right decisions. That's the overarching concept for many levels in a game such as build-up play, finishing or making challenges. I think we've already tried to change our game but in many situations not made the right choice. If you don't have that momentum on your side and also are not decisive or patient enough then small mistakes are punished by a clever opponent. A normal performance isn't enough and now we have to go out and earn our success.
… the post-match assessment after the weekend: The team has behaved as I imagined: They had a day off to process the defeat and really shake off their disappointment. That's important. We are always very critical with ourselves including after wins. That's the way we have thought since we arrived here. But then the focus is entirely forward looking and we try to have a lot of constructive discussions with the players to work through different perspectives of how they perceive the situation individually, what was in their minds and why they made a decision at certain moments so that we can find the appropriate approach and then set targets in training.
… the significance of mentality: We have experienced but also young players who are in a different situation from last season. You expect more of them but then perhaps the performances and results aren't right – all of that does something to a player. As an example: There's a huge difference between standing on the ground on one leg or 80 metres up on the top of a block of flats. Everybody deals differently with pressure and has different tools and that all demands a mental process. And everybody is allowed to make mistakes or have an off day. That's also to do with confidence in our players. Experience on its own is no guarantee of avoiding mistakes. The biggest challenge in sport is – regardless of how experienced you are – to achieve momentum both physically and mentally.
… the targets in this week's training sessions: We were incredibly disappointed after the match, without a doubt. But it doesn't help us to lose our nerve. There is no reason to panic but we have to get out of this situation as soon as possible. We did that several times last year and we’ll do it again by getting things right, drawing conclusions and turning our negative thoughts into energy and desire. That's the challenge we want to take on and overcome.

In mid-August, the Werkself will set off on a four-day trip to England to play their final two friendly matches of the 2026/27 pre-season against Premier League clubs Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United. The match in Nottingham against the Tricky Trees is on Wednesday 12 August at 20:45 CEST (19:45 BST) at the City Ground. The game against the Magpies in Newcastle is on Saturday 15 August at 16:00 CEST (15:00 BST) at the atmospheric St James’ Park. Details on ticket sales for both matches.
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Black and Red talent development at the highest level – even off the pitch: Apprentices Jule Suermann, Leandra Bellia and Julia Niederheide have successfully completed their two- or three-year apprenticeships at the club. Bayer 04 honoured the trio at the BayArena on Tuesday.
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Rieden reloaded: Just like last year, the Bayer 04 Women’s team are spending their summer training camp in this idyllic corner of Bavaria. From this Sunday, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team will be based in Rieden in the Upper Palatinate for a week.
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Following the summer break, most of the players are back in Leverkusen. While two Bayer 04 first-team players are still in action at the World Cup, the players present officially kicked off the new season with fitness assessments. At the Werkstatt, the Bayer 04 rehabilitation and training centre, Robert Andrich, Edmond Tapsoba and the rest of the squad worked up quite a sweat in the sweltering summer heat. New signings Afonso Moreira and Kennet Eichhorn also successfully completed the day’s sessions alongside their new team-mates.
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The Werkself return tomorrow, Tuesday 14 July (from 11:00 CEST at the BayArena; live stream on bayer04.de, the Bayer 04 app and YouTube), with new head coach Carles Martínez leading his first training session as part of the Bayer 04 set-up. His coaching team comprises a mix of new and long-standing colleagues.
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