Fernando Carro on...
The 1-1 draw in Munich: A 1-1 draw at Bayern isn’t bad as a rule. But it's actually a pity given the chances we had. Of course, we would have liked to have won. Bayern were dominant but we had the better chances. We go into every game looking to win as a matter of course.
The ambition to retain top national and international talents at the Werkself: We try all we can to keep hold of top young players. Of course, financial factors play a role. But that's also part of being successful in football. If possible, we want to continue to challenge for titles and be in the Champions League over the long term. Then players like that will stay with us.
Florian Wirtz, whose contract at Bayer 04 runs to 2026: I'm counting on Florian Wirtz not just to 2023 but at least to 2024. We will try to keep him for as long as possible. I'm assuming he won't leave before 2024. We've got the European Championships in Germany in that year. He knows he’s a really important player who can always play. And not to forget: He feels really happy here with us.
Play-offs in the Bundesliga: I'm no friend of play-offs. That always used to annoy me in basketball. That system affects games in the regular season from the start.
The intentions of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus in trying to set up a Super League: I think the three clubs made a lot of mistakes. That started with the announcement. Juve boss Andrea Agnelli, as the chair of the ECA, first announces a fundamental reform of the Champions League and a few hours later plans come out on the foundation of the Super League. The way it was done was unacceptable. No German clubs were involved in that project. That shows we were in the right place with our assessment. There must always be qualification through national leagues. The English clubs also withdrew. The opinion of fans across Europe was clear. In short: I don't see any chance of that idea happening in the next few years.
World Cup every two years: Having the World Cup every two years doesn't make any sense to me. I don't think it will happen. Everybody in charge is aware that we can't keep adding to the fixture list non-stop. We also have a responsibility for the players and their health. I get the impression that this perception will gradually take hold. I don't think we'll see the World Cup being played every two years.
War in Ukraine: Every citizen and every Bundesliga club is doing everything possible. There is great solidarity in football and with the citizens in general. Even though it's primarily the politicians who have to find solutions, everybody should have sympathy with the fate of people in Ukraine, help as far as possible and clearly speak out against war and for peace.
Whether it's sport or his private live: Captain Edmond Tapsoba tells us his top three personal favourites in twelve categories in edition #56 of the Werkself Magazine. The defender had to answer as quickly as he reacts on the pitch. 'On the Podium' with Edmond Tapsoba!
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“Year after year, this is an incredibly valuable gathering, both in terms of the content covered and the opportunity for mutual discussion,” stressed Bayer 04 goalkeeping coach David Thiel in his welcoming address at this year’s goalkeeping coaches’ meeting. This was the third time in four seasons that the event had been held at the BayArena. Organised by the German Football Association (DFB), the meeting brought together goalkeeping coaches from the Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2 and the 3rd division from the west region. For the first time this year, goalkeeping coaches from the youth performance centres (NLZ) were also present. Bayer 04 fitness coach Markus Müller provided fascinating insights into the specific fitness training carried out with the Werkself’s goalkeepers.
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A floodlit derby, two further night games and a top-of-the-table clash on a Saturday afternoon: The German Football Association (DFB) has confirmed the exact dates for four further matchdays in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga. This means all fixtures for the Bayer 04 women’s team up to the end of the year, as well as the first two in 2027, are now confirmed.
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It was another incredibly close call in the end: The second showdown in the 2026/27 VBL Club Championship saw the #B04eSports team once again narrowly miss out on a place in the top 16 of the preliminary round – and with it, a spot in the in-person knockout stage. It was a bitter blow: Marc and Sean Landwehr again fell just short, despite being level on points with their rivals. As was the case last month, their weaker record across the twelve individual matches in the six preliminary round fixtures proved decisive.
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