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.
Plenty going on both on and off the pitch: The Bayer 04 fan support team has organised a number of highlights for fans visiting the Werkself 2026/27 summer training camp in Blankenhain, in the Weimarer Land region. Registration for the events is now open. All the details at a glance.
Show more
The Bayer 04 Leverkusen Women’s team and s2-Software are continuing their long-term partnership: The Werkself and the provider of pre-owned Microsoft licences have extended their contract by two years to 2028. This means s2-Software will remain the Bayer 04 sleeve sponsor for all matches in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga.
Show more
BIOGENA is the new performance partner for the Bayer 04 Leverkusen Women’s team. Under a partnership initially set to run for three years, the club and the leading Austrian micronutrient company are pooling their expertise in the areas of health, fitness and top-level performance.
Show more
100 children from the Bayer 04 Football Academy had the chance to gain exclusive insights: As part of the summer camp, the young footballers headed inside the BayArena at midday on Tuesday, 21 July, where they were due to meet Werkself keepers Janis Blaswich and Simeon Rapsch in the press conference room. The two players took plenty of time to answer every question from the inquisitive audience – whether it was about their own careers or their first impressions of the new head coach. Finally, there was even time left to sign autographs for the young fans.
Show more
Following the cancellation of Bayer 04’s scheduled friendly against Carl Zeiss Jena on 1 August, the Werkself have now found a new opponent for the same day and will host Rot-Weiss Essen of the 3. Liga at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion. Kick-off is at 11:00 CEST and tickets are available now.
Show more
