The goalkeepers Lennart Grill and Niklas Lomb plus homegrown player Emrehan Gedikli formed the first group of three at the performance tests at the BayArena on Monday morning. Another 13 senior players plus seven youth players followed over the course of the day. There were the usual warm greetings after the summer break with everybody in a buoyant mood and full of anticipation ahead of the forthcoming tasks.
Anticipation ahead of the performance tests was kept within bounds as Dr. Malte Krüger knows from previous years. “We are aware this day is not necessarily the most popular. (He laughs) It is a real workout as the tests last longer than a normal training day,” said the head sports scientist at Bayer 04. “But the players know the importance of this day and they see we gain important knowledge that relates to their physical condition and also benefits them and their health and fitness in the pre-season.”
Dr. Krüger also explained why he believes the performance tests have to be completed before the first session on the training ground. The 39-year-old: “On the one hand, the players come here after several weeks of individual preparation, on the other we want to identify possible deficits before the dynamic sessions on the pitch instead of afterwards.”
The Werkself players went through ten different tests in succession on Monday with the whole procedure lasting three hours for each player. Nadiem Amiri and Co. spent two thirds of the time with medical checks. They are partly prescribed by the German Football League (DFL) with Bayer 04 also carrying out additional tests. The checks include organ tests, sight tests, a dental examination, an ECG plus neurological investigations.
The traditional performance tests followed. On top of that there are strength tests on hip muscles, flexibility tests and stamina diagnostic tests – the so-called spiroergometry on a treadmill. “Players are tested to the limit without pain,” said Dr. Krüger. The tempo is increased in a five-minute rhythm with some players covering a distance of more than six kilometres at a speed of 20 kmph.
To deal with the majority of the tests on one day, several external experts are involved including the German Sports University (Spoho) in Cologne, and Bayer 04 have worked with them on the performance tests for several years.
Working with the club’s sports scientists, team doctors, fitness coaches and physiotherapists, the tests can provide basic conclusions for course of the season. “The investigations we complete each year are obviously very comprehensive and involved. But we gain important knowledge that enables us to assess the players’ development, reveal deficits and do preventive work.”
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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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Several Werkself players are set to represent their national teams during the final international break of 2026. Here’s an overview of who has been called up and the matches they will face in November. This article will be updated regularly.
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