Peter Bosz was absolutely clear. "Set pieces are a weapon. And very important if you're not playing well and would still like to win." For that reason, the dead ball was centre stage in the pre-season for the first time on Thursday. In the morning, the focus was on corners. And Kerem Demirbay stood out again. His crosses didn't float into the penalty area but rather zipped into the danger zone that is often used by attacking teams to score goals. "It's definitely one of Kerem's qualities. But we have other players like Leon Bailey who can do it very well too," said the Werkself head coach.
But it was not only corners that were being practised in the morning but also throw-ins and the resulting plans of attack. And always in the thick of it: Peter Bosz. "That gives me a better sense of whether the processes are working or if the distances are right," said the Dutchman. "If you stand on the touchline you have more of an overview but I've got video for that."
Marcel Daum as assistant coach analysis and Simon Lackmann are responsible for filming the sessions and not just at the training camp. The analysts use a camera tower that can position a camera at a height of up to 10 mertres to capture the action on the pitch. "We primarily film the training," said Lackmann. The analysts usually have clear instructions from the coach that are to be adhered to; but often they give Peter Bosz advice based on their own observations. Simon Lackmann: "That's working very well now. You get a feeling of what's important to the head coach."
After the first session of the day, the pitch belonged to the fans. The now obligatory photo of the team with supporters was taken. Around 150 Werkself fans have watched the daily training sessions at the Alois Latini Stadium in Zell am See. Many of them travelled to Salzburger Land just to be on site all the time while others have combined their summer holiday with a trip to see their favourite team. The contacts at the training camp are the two fan liaison officers Andreas ‘Paffi’ Paffrath and Sebastian Friedrich plus Stefan Thomé and Daniela Frühling from the Leverkusen Fan Project.
For Friedrich, who is known by most fans as 'Sebo', the training camp has been a success to date. "We're getting lots of positive feedback." The visit by the CEO to the supporters in the stands went down very well. "Fernando Carro showed he was very interested in the opinions of the fans." They are looking forward to the now almost legendary match against the Bayer 04 members of staff. "It's a highlight every year."
The session in the afternoon was definitely a pleasure. Here the focus was concentrated on plans of attack including crosses and also shots in the end. Here the fans were again able to admire the quality of our new number 10 in terms of finding the back of the opposition net. Kerem Demirbay definitely has everything to be the new 'master of all trades' at Bayer 04. But not from twelve yards out. Peter Bosz has decided that Kai Havertz will take the penalties. "He's our number one penalty taker," said Bosz about the Germany international who was converted three out of four in the Bundesliga. But he also has a high opinion of Karim Bellarabi in this area of the game. In contrast, Kevin Volland will have to be patient. He missed in the friendly against KAS Eupen. "He has to go to the back of the queue," said Bosz with a smile on his face.
Very entertaining but not without danger was Lukas Hradecky's holiday story. When he was jogging near to Bratislava, where the Hradecky family originally came from, he met a big brown animal in the woods. Our keeper was certain: It was a bear so he decided to run. Thanks to his heart rate watch, he now knows how long and how quick his long-distance sprint was. The measurement showed his pulse was 190 for four minutes and that he achieved a top speed of 33.6 km/h. The succinct comment from our Finn: "I've never been that fast before."
All the daily reports:
#B04inAustria – Day 1: Two birthdays and a 'bobble ban'
#B04inAustria – Day 2: Visit from DFB Cup winning captain
#B04inAustria - Day 3: Lars Bender confirmed as captain
Click here for the gallery – The best images from day four.
A special afternoon at the Bayer 04 Football Academy autumn camp: At the Liga 20 indoor football centre, in the shadow of the BayArena, two Werkself women’s team players led a training session. Loreen Bender and Selina Ostermeier not only offered the young players advice and support, but also got stuck in themselves.
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The Werkself have reached at least the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal in each of the last three years. The Black-and-Reds would like to make it to the final four of the competition again this season, but to do that they'll need to overcome 1. FC Nürnberg in round two, who travel to the BayArena with momentum following a successful league campaign so far. However, Bayer have a 100 percent record at home in all competitions this season - and have also won six of their last seven home matches in the Pokal. The Matchday News.
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Werkself player Ibrahim Maza has been named in the top ten in the ‘Men’s Young Talent of the Year’ category for 2026. The 20-year-old was at the London Palladium on Monday evening for the 2026 Ballon d’Or awards ceremony. Fernando Carro, Bayer 04 CEO, also attended the ceremony. Lamine Yamal of Barcelona was named the winner in the ‘Men’s Young Talent of the Year’ category.
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