"Just a snapshot"
With three wins from four matches, SV Werder Bremen has made a promising start to the table tennis Bundesliga. The northern Germans want to forget the difficult last season as quickly as possible. But what are the reasons for the upswing of the Green-Whites? Head coach Cristian Tamas talks in an interview about the trend-setting double in Bad Königshofen, the current form of his top player and upcoming tasks in the TTBL.
The 2021/2022 season ended SV Werder with 16:28 points on a disappointing 9th place and came threateningly close to relegation. In the new season, you already have 6:2 points after four games. What is going better than last year?
Cristian Tamas: The double on the first day of the season in Bad Königshofen was very important for our good start to the season. If we lost that match, we would now have 4:4 points and we probably wouldn't be talking about a particularly good start to the season. But of course it is positive to have three wins after four matches. Nevertheless, it's only a snapshot. We have to stay alert. Every game is important and we still have a lot of tough games ahead of us.
What was missing at SV Werder last season?
It wasn't an easy year for us. We lost a lot of close games and had to deal with injuries and corona illnesses throughout the season. But that's been put behind us. We're concentrating on what lies ahead of us.
That's ASV Grünwettersbach on the next matchday. After that, promoted Mainz 05 awaits. Victory four and five for SV Werder?
With Grünwettersbach and Mainz, we're facing two opponents on a par. But of course we want to carry the momentum from the first games with us and keep scoring points. But that certainly won't be easy. The games against Grünwettersbach were always close. Everyone is warned about Mainz. With the win in Ochsenhausen, they have finally arrived in the league. We need a team in top form in both games.
The league is very strong and well-balanced this year. What is possible for SV Werder?
First of all, our goal is to distance ourselves from the bottom of the table as much as possible. If things go well and we can put ourselves in a position from which we can play for the top four places, we will of course try everything. But we know how strong the league is. We'll focus on the upcoming games. The season is still long.
Neu-Ulm has made some big-name additions, and record champion Borussia Düsseldorf is one of the favorites year after year. Who do you expect in the playoffs?
There are two or three teams that are very strong. But we're concentrating on ourselves. We can influence that. It's my job to prepare the team for every game in the best possible way. Reaching the playoffs is not a foregone conclusion. That applies to all teams.
Once again this year, SV Werder's hopes are pinned on top player Matthias Falck. The newly-crowned European doubles champion is currently in excellent form, most recently defeating Tomokazu Harimoto at the WTT tournament in Macau. What do you think he can do this season?
Matthias is in very good shape. He proved that not least at the European Championships. He is very important for us and should carry the team a bit. But of course Matthias can't do it alone. Everyone is needed and must do their part. That's the only way we can be successful.
With Hunor Szöcs, a long-time player of SV Werder left the club in the summer. In his place, you signed Cristian Pletea from TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau. What are you hoping for from him?
He is a young player with a lot of talent and potential. We know what we have in him. We want him to develop with us and take the next steps. Then we will have a lot of fun with him.
The euphoria after the good start to the season in the league was recently dampened a little in the cup. How do you assess the 0:3 against TTC Neu-Ulm?
The match was closer than the 0:3 would suggest. But Neu-Ulm is perhaps the toughest opponent we could have faced in the cup. Simply a very difficult draw. But the defeat doesn't knock us down. Against Grünwettersbach in the league, it's 0-0 again and we'll be ready.