Before the Swiss coach fielded questions on the training ground, he fulfilled another function on the pitch. Seoane had a whistle round his neck as the took the role of referee. He intervened – albeit rarely – in the event of unfair challenges and clear offsides.
The 43-year-old coach again welcomed the U19 players Sadik Fofana and Ayman Aourir plus the brothers Noah and Leon Pesch at the start of the week.
Missing players included Edmond Tapsoba and Odilon Kossounou, who are at the Africa Cup of Nations, plus the injured Julian Baumgartlinger and Charles Aránguiz. Timothy Fosu-Mensah was also absent but the Dutchman could return to training during the week according to Seoane. A return to full training is also possible for Amine Adli with the Frenchman completing an individual session on the pitch on Monday.
There was good news about Piero Hincapie: The 19-year-old defender had been left stranded in his home country of Ecuador following a positive Covid-19 test but he has now tested negative and thereby fulfilled the requirements for the return journey to Germany. "We’re happy that Piero can now return and that we have one more player available," said Seoane. "I hope he will be able to have two or three days work with the ball before Saturday's game."
At the moment, it appears likely that the Ecuador international will be in the squad for the Werkself opening match in 2021 against Union Berlin. The game between the teams in fourth and seventh place at the BayArena kicks off at 15.30 CET on Saturday, 8 January.
Edmond Tapsoba and Odilon Kossounou are in the last few days before the start of the Africa Cup of Nations. While Kossounou has been exclusively involved in training sessions with the Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso with defender Tapsoba played a friendly against Gabon on Sunday. The warm-up match against the team including Arsenal striker Pierre Emerik Aubameyang, with the Leverkusen player in the Burkina Faso starting line-up, ended with a 3-0 victory.
Tapsoba and Co. are in the opening match of the African tournament against Cameroon on 9 January; the Ivory Coast with Kossounou start three days later against Equatorial Guinea.
Be part of the family, everyone is welcome in Germany's top flight: The German Football League (DFL) are using this motto to get fans in the mood for the start of the second half of the Bundesliga season. Matchday 18 begins on Friday, 7 January with the game between Bayern Munich and Borussia Mönchengladbach. Click HERE for the Tweet.
After the opening match in January against Union Berlin, the Werkself play Borussia Mönchengladbach (15 January) and FC Augsburg (22 January) before the weekend off at the end of the month.
Having worked as Bayern Munich's video analyst under coach Pep Guardiola, Lars Kornetka joined the Werkself in the summer of 2014 as analyst assistant coach. He spent four years under the Bayer Cross working in that role with the longest time under head coach Roger Schmidt (125 games). After that he moved on to RB Leipzig and PSV Eindhoven and a few months ago joined Lokomotiv Moscow. Kornetka is now working there as the sporting and communications director. Bayer 04 wish the former Leverkusen man many happy returns on his 44th birthday in the Russian capital.
Exciting experiences and exclusive insights into the Werkself and the BayArena awaited the young footballers from the BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou in China during their visit to the Rhineland this week. As well as taking part in a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the youngsters marvelled at the Bundesliga club’s stadium during a guided tour. The highlight of the visit was a private press conference with former Bayer 04 striker Stefan Kießling, during which he shared tips from his own career with the young players. On Saturday afternoon, 10 October, the group will round off their visit by supporting the Werkself in the away match in Mainz.
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Fun, games and promising talent: At the fourth Bayer 04 Junior Girls’ Talent Day at the Kurtekotten training centre, 90 football-mad girls had the chance to put themselves forward for the Werkself youth teams. During a 90-minute training session, children born between 2011 and 2019 had the chance to demonstrate their skills.
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Despite the international break, numerous Werkself fans turned up at the BayArena on Saturday 3 October. The occasion: Bayer 04, together with Bayer Vital and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer, organised a Health Day. In the stadium’s Premium Lounge, guests listened to fascinating talks on the subject of cancer, featuring, amongst others, Bayer 04 record appearance holder Rüdiger Vollborn and former Werkself player Hans Sarpei. Afterwards, young and old alike enjoyed interactive stations such as a grip strength test and eye pupil test.
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In issue #56 of Werkself Magazine, Afonso Moreira offers some interesting insights into his home country, Portugal, as part of the ‘Sag mal’ (Tell me) feature. Among other things, the 21-year-old talks about his favourite places in the country on the Iberian Peninsula, the local cuisine and music, as well as heroes and historical figures beyond the world of football. ‘Sag mal’ with Afonso Moreira!
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