Niclas Füllkrug was supposed to lead Werder Bremen after their relegation, but recently he has had little to play for. His role as a part-timer is gnawing away at the actually so self-confident centre-forward.
At 28, Füllkrug has a certain amount of experience, and so he also knows that his goal drought is one of the main reasons why he has recently been given little consideration by Werder coach Markus Anfang. “I have no argument as long as I don’t score,” Füllkrug stated in an interview with the portal “Deichstube”.
At the same time, Füllkrug, who had to struggle with injuries, some of them serious, during his first time in Bremen as well as in Nuremberg and Hanover, is currently physically dazzling. “I’m fitter than I’ve been in a long time, but I’m not converting it into goals,” he said, describing his dilemma. “At the moment, the goal is smaller for me than for others.” Yet he certainly had opportunities. At the beginning of the season, for example, he was in the starting eleven in the first four games, but hardly made an appearance and was rated 5 by the kicker editors in each case.
“At the moment the goal is smaller for me than for others. “
NICLAS FÜLLKRUG
Füllkrug praises Ducksch: “He’s good, he does the team good “
From matchday 5 onwards, his situation changed fundamentally. Marvin Ducksch, a new striker, arrived from Hannover 96 and made an impact on the Weser. The newcomer scored four goals in his first five games. “He’s good, and he’s good for the team, I can’t say otherwise,” said Füllkrug, praising his new opponent, whom he can’t get past at the moment. “I’m something of a loser in the current situation,” laments Füllkrug.
Since the fifth matchday, Füllkrug has only come off the bench – and even as a wild card he has not been allowed to celebrate any personal sense of achievement since then. “It’s not satisfying, of course,” says Füllkrug, whose ambition is “to play from the start again.” But what if he no longer manages to make the leap to a regular? Then, says Füllkrug, who is still contractually bound to the Weser until June 2023, “I would have to think about it”.