Ömer Toprak is back at Werder Bremen – and of course hopes to stay fit longer now. He has a special game coming up this weekend.
There is no question that Ömer Toprak is a very important player for Werder Bremen. This is shown, among other things, by the fact that the 32-year-old was made the new captain at the Weser before the season. And the first games of the season with the defence chief have also proven that the defensive man is a very important building block in Markus Anfang’s team.
At the beginning, as with so many players at SVW, it was not certain whether he would stay. Toprak was also considered a transfer candidate because of his class. But he stayed in Bremen – and is now expected to help Werder return to more successful times. However, the 32-year-old’s career has been plagued by the major problem of injuries, which has also characterised his time in Bremen so far.
How does he always manage to come back and not bury his head in the sand? “Quite simply – because football is fun for me. I no longer have to prove to anyone that I can come back stronger after injuries. At the end of the day, I’m doing this for myself, the boys and the club. Of course you are disappointed during an injury break, but as long as I enjoy the game, that’s not a problem for me,” the good-humoured Toprak is quoted as saying on Bremen’s website.
Comeback for a few minutes in Nuremberg
On 11 September, Toprak injured his calf during the match in Ingolstadt and was subsequently ruled out. The injury turned out to be a bit more complicated, the defensive player had to miss a long time. But he has been training again for a few weeks and recently celebrated his comeback for a few minutes in the 2:1 in Nuremberg. Toprak came in in the 90th minute and helped to carry the three points over time in the final phase.
“Despite the injury, I have been here every day and know what went on. In case of need, I also had my colleagues from the team council, with whom I was always in communication. As captain, I am definitely calm, however, I have a clear opinion, I am open and direct,” the defensive captain makes it clear that he also made an impact on the team when he was injured.
Toprak in the starting eleven against Schalke?
Now he wants to have an active influence on the field again and of course hopes to stay fit for longer. For Bremen, the personnel situation is currently quite relaxed, as in addition to Toprak, the experienced players Christian Groß and Leonardo Bittencourt are also fully fit again after injuries. It remains to be seen who will play against Schalke next Saturday evening. What is clear is that it would be a special game for Toprak, who played for Borussia Dortmund between 2017 and 2019.
“Of course, with my past, it’s a special game – but that doesn’t play a role for me on match day itself,” Toprak makes clear, adding: “It’s the clash of two traditional clubs. I go into the game thinking that we are Werder Bremen. We got three points in Nuremberg last week and want to take the next three against Schalke. “
Let’s see if Toprak can make his comeback to the starting eleven after a long injury lay-off. The chances are good, however, because Marco Friedl, who played in the middle of the three-man backline in the last few games, is missing due to a yellow suspension.
