"A Hardman Winger?" The Career of Thierry Zvunka
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The Prodigal Son returns – Zvunka to take charge of ‘Les Bleus’
The FFF have managed to appease the nation, furious at France’s poor World Cup performance, by announcing the man to succeed departing national head coach Paul Le Guen: former under 21 gaffer Thierry Zvunka, who lead the current generation of players to the European Championship as talented youngsters, will take the step up to manage the senior side. With Zvunka having faced a choice between the country of his birth and the country of his background, there is no doubt that fans of ‘Les Bleus’ will be delighted with his decision to turn down World Cup winners Scotland.
Thierry Zvunka enjoys a growing reputation in world football, having begun his managerial career just 5 years ago with the under 21 side. Since then, he has managed in Scotland, Holland and now Germany, developing his skills and knowledge with every successful season. It is only now, since taking the Werder Bremen job, that some pundits have dubbed him as a truly “world class” football manager – quite an achievement for someone coming out of an average semi-professional playing career relatively recently. The FFF saw two clear advantages in Zvunka over any other candidate for the top job: firstly, through his experience with the younger squad, he already knows the emerging generation of talent that he will be reliant on going forward towards the Euros; secondly, his record since departing the role has been superb, achieving success in every job he has held, as well as leading Belgium to an incredible 3rd place on the biggest stage where France failed to deliver.
In an exclusive interview with L’Équipe, the new man at the helm speaks of being torn between two nations dear to him, about his ambitions for ‘Les Bleus’, Werder Bremen and life in general going forward.
Q: Thierry, you’ve made your decision, and made the French nation very happy! How tough was it to eventually choose France, and what persuaded you to do so?
A: Well, it was without doubt the most difficult decision of my life, and quite possibly the hardest choice I’ll ever have to make. I care deeply about both nations, and feel equally a part of both – I’m not referred to as a Scots-Frenchman by accident, you know! In the end, I had to try and take emotion out of the process. Looking at both openings objectively, I elected for the France job after several hours of mulling over every little difference between the two: Scotland are now officially the best in the world, and would have presented a great challenge, while France should have been right up there and also offer a great challenge to return the side to the top; both have talented national pools, with different strengths and weaknesses; both have loyal, enthusiastic and passionate fans. There was one thing that swung it, and that was my past experience with the FFF – they were brilliant with me throughout my tenure with the under 21’s, and given that those boys have now matured and progressed to the senior side I couldn’t resist linking up with everyone again.
Q: You will once again be balancing club and country jobs. How do you find the time to do both, and what is the secret to being successful with two roles?
A: I’m a workaholic, basically, so spend every waking minute and hour devoted to football. The most important consideration when balancing two jobs is the backroom teams you rely on – a good assistant is invaluable for both, helping to fill in the gaps and updating you on any developments. Naturally, I have to rely on scouting reports when it comes to picking national squads, but I surround myself with scouts that I both know and trust. If there’s any debate, I simply watch the tapes until I make a final decision. Now that I’m spending my time in Germany, however, it shouldn’t be too hard to keep tabs on what’s going on here. As Belgium head coach, managing in neighbouring Holland was a great help, and it turns out that I’ll be in much the same boat this time around.
Q: You’ve enjoyed quite a rise in such a short time. This has meant spending relatively short times in your jobs – should we as Frenchmen, or Werder fans, be worried about you leaving after a short time?
A: I don’t think so, no. It’s a tough one – with Kilmarnock, who gave me my break, I spent two full seasons in charge, after signing an initial two year deal, so I think that’s normal. Feyenoord is slightly more complicated to explain: basically, I never ruled out departing if a really good offer came in; by that, I meant an offer which offered stability at the top table of European football, and Werder Bremen duly came in with such an offer. I have no foreseeable reason to leave Weserstadion in the near future, given that I truly believe Werder are capable of challenging for every title possible, both domestic and continental. With Feyenoord, as much as I’d grown to love the club the budgets dictated that we couldn’t properly give continental competitions a tilt. Starting in the Europa League this campaign will be a good indicator, as it’s a competition that we will be among the favourites for. As for France, the same applies – while most people were shocked when Belgium went to the last 4 of the World Cup, it’s what France should be capable of doing. Besides, I love the country and the fans, so I’m more than comfortable where I am now.
Q: You seem to be indicating that you are content with where you have arrived this summer. Does that mean that your ambitions have been restrained slightly?
A: In a selfish sense, yes. From a broader perspective, no – I’m not looking for the next step up anymore, as I was at times with Killie and latterly Belgium, but I’ve got the same hunger to win as much as I can with both club and country. Once you lose that, you may as well retire…and I don’t plan to do that for a long time! It’s all about priorities: as a young man making his way in the sport, it’s only natural to look upwards and dream of where you could end up; now, as a maturing manager with 5 years of tough graft behind me, I’m more than happy with my circumstances as they are. Also, I need to improve my work/life balance, and with the two positions I now hold it should be much easier to handle. I’ve been guilty of neglecting my social life at the expense of work, but can now redress the balance a little.
Q: You mention your personal life – firstly, I believe that congratulations are in order, with a little one on the way! Has that been a factor in changing your mindset?
A: Most definitely, yeah. Thanks! Of course, the thought of becoming a father makes you re-assess your priorities in life. I’ve been largely self-centred over the past few years, given that I’ve dragged my partner all over Europe with my jobs, but now we are able to settle down and plant roots as they say. Family has always been important to us, and given that our relations are all based in France it made sense for me to take on the two new jobs this summer. Of course, I can’t rule out moving again at some point in the future, but by the same token growing up in another country for a spell did me the power of good. As with work, it’s all a balancing act.
Q: What do you hope to achieve in the next few years?
A: Well, on the club front I’m looking to establish Werder Bremen as the top side in Germany. With Bayern Munich in the superb financial position they are, and the likes of Stuttgart becoming resurgent it won’t be an easy task. That’s why I’m in the hotseat though – I love a challenge, and touch wood I tend to rise well to them. It would be nice to establish the club as a force in continental football as well, given that we’ve never really been considered as an elite force in Europe. Everything is in place to change that, with a little luck and hark work. In terms of France, the Euros have to be our target. In two years time, we’ll have a squad in their prime, and ready to have a real good go at winning the tournament. Qualification shouldn’t be taken lightly of course, but we’ve got higher aims than turning up to make up the numbers. Following that, we’ll need to refresh and prepare to make up for Brazil in 4 years time. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it!
Q: Thanks for your time Thierry, and good luck for the future.
A: Cheers, I may well need it! (laughs)
Thierry Zvunka was talking to L’Équipe football correspondent Luc Batignole. A: Well, it was without doubt the most difficult decision of my life, and quite possibly the hardest choice I’ll ever have to make. I care deeply about both nations, and feel equally a part of both – I’m not referred to as a Scots-Frenchman by accident, you know! In the end, I had to try and take emotion out of the process. Looking at both openings objectively, I elected for the France job after several hours of mulling over every little difference between the two: Scotland are now officially the best in the world, and would have presented a great challenge, while France should have been right up there and also offer a great challenge to return the side to the top; both have talented national pools, with different strengths and weaknesses; both have loyal, enthusiastic and passionate fans. There was one thing that swung it, and that was my past experience with the FFF – they were brilliant with me throughout my tenure with the under 21’s, and given that those boys have now matured and progressed to the senior side I couldn’t resist linking up with everyone again.
Q: You will once again be balancing club and country jobs. How do you find the time to do both, and what is the secret to being successful with two roles?
A: I’m a workaholic, basically, so spend every waking minute and hour devoted to football. The most important consideration when balancing two jobs is the backroom teams you rely on – a good assistant is invaluable for both, helping to fill in the gaps and updating you on any developments. Naturally, I have to rely on scouting reports when it comes to picking national squads, but I surround myself with scouts that I both know and trust. If there’s any debate, I simply watch the tapes until I make a final decision. Now that I’m spending my time in Germany, however, it shouldn’t be too hard to keep tabs on what’s going on here. As Belgium head coach, managing in neighbouring Holland was a great help, and it turns out that I’ll be in much the same boat this time around.
Q: You’ve enjoyed quite a rise in such a short time. This has meant spending relatively short times in your jobs – should we as Frenchmen, or Werder fans, be worried about you leaving after a short time?
A: I don’t think so, no. It’s a tough one – with Kilmarnock, who gave me my break, I spent two full seasons in charge, after signing an initial two year deal, so I think that’s normal. Feyenoord is slightly more complicated to explain: basically, I never ruled out departing if a really good offer came in; by that, I meant an offer which offered stability at the top table of European football, and Werder Bremen duly came in with such an offer. I have no foreseeable reason to leave Weserstadion in the near future, given that I truly believe Werder are capable of challenging for every title possible, both domestic and continental. With Feyenoord, as much as I’d grown to love the club the budgets dictated that we couldn’t properly give continental competitions a tilt. Starting in the Europa League this campaign will be a good indicator, as it’s a competition that we will be among the favourites for. As for France, the same applies – while most people were shocked when Belgium went to the last 4 of the World Cup, it’s what France should be capable of doing. Besides, I love the country and the fans, so I’m more than comfortable where I am now.
Q: You seem to be indicating that you are content with where you have arrived this summer. Does that mean that your ambitions have been restrained slightly?
A: In a selfish sense, yes. From a broader perspective, no – I’m not looking for the next step up anymore, as I was at times with Killie and latterly Belgium, but I’ve got the same hunger to win as much as I can with both club and country. Once you lose that, you may as well retire…and I don’t plan to do that for a long time! It’s all about priorities: as a young man making his way in the sport, it’s only natural to look upwards and dream of where you could end up; now, as a maturing manager with 5 years of tough graft behind me, I’m more than happy with my circumstances as they are. Also, I need to improve my work/life balance, and with the two positions I now hold it should be much easier to handle. I’ve been guilty of neglecting my social life at the expense of work, but can now redress the balance a little.
Q: You mention your personal life – firstly, I believe that congratulations are in order, with a little one on the way! Has that been a factor in changing your mindset?
A: Most definitely, yeah. Thanks! Of course, the thought of becoming a father makes you re-assess your priorities in life. I’ve been largely self-centred over the past few years, given that I’ve dragged my partner all over Europe with my jobs, but now we are able to settle down and plant roots as they say. Family has always been important to us, and given that our relations are all based in France it made sense for me to take on the two new jobs this summer. Of course, I can’t rule out moving again at some point in the future, but by the same token growing up in another country for a spell did me the power of good. As with work, it’s all a balancing act.
Q: What do you hope to achieve in the next few years?
A: Well, on the club front I’m looking to establish Werder Bremen as the top side in Germany. With Bayern Munich in the superb financial position they are, and the likes of Stuttgart becoming resurgent it won’t be an easy task. That’s why I’m in the hotseat though – I love a challenge, and touch wood I tend to rise well to them. It would be nice to establish the club as a force in continental football as well, given that we’ve never really been considered as an elite force in Europe. Everything is in place to change that, with a little luck and hark work. In terms of France, the Euros have to be our target. In two years time, we’ll have a squad in their prime, and ready to have a real good go at winning the tournament. Qualification shouldn’t be taken lightly of course, but we’ve got higher aims than turning up to make up the numbers. Following that, we’ll need to refresh and prepare to make up for Brazil in 4 years time. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it!
Q: Thanks for your time Thierry, and good luck for the future.
A: Cheers, I may well need it! (laughs)
Die Grün-Weißen start new season with routine win
pre-season roundup, Sunday 3rd August 2014
pre-season roundup, Sunday 3rd August 2014
With a long pre-season finally over, competitive action finally got underway with the first round of the DFB-Pokal yesterday afternoon. It has been a hectic period for the club, with comings-and-goings occurring regularly since the official arrival of new manager Thierry Zvunka, but with his declaration that transfer business is now completed we can look forward to the next 6 months with optimism.
Drawn away to FSV Frankfurt, Die Grün-Weißen were under no illusions as to how stubborn their lower league opponents would be. Defending stoutly and with no lack of passion, the home side gave Werder a stern examination after such an exhausting pre-season schedule. However, it took just 17 minutes for Zvunka’s charges to grab the first goal of the new campaign, and it was a thing of beauty: new marquee signing Fabien Robert was causing problems up front, and was fouled 25 yards from goal; without a second thought, cultured midfielder Haris Medunjanin stepped up and curled the ball majestically into the top corner. With Werder in complete control, only one more goal would result from their efforts, arriving in the final minute when Danny ran at the tired Frankfurt defence and found a gap under the goalkeeper to slot home the clinching goal. It was a good workout for the side, and one that will help to prepare the players for Saturday’s Bundesliga opener away to Hoffenheim.
As alluded to in the intro, Zvunka has wasted no time in stamping his mark on the squad, making wholesale changes to the backroom team and forming the basis of a new Werder for the future. Assistant manager Paco Ayestarán has been retained, but the coaching and scouting teams have been completely overhauled. As far as the playing staff goes, the new gaffer has made a priority of improving the youth setup, declaring that the previous regime had been too ‘liberal’ offering contracts to youngsters with little scope for improvement. In addition to the arrival of some real prospects, the first-team squad has also been refreshed with the departure of a few old timers. Details of the club’s pre-season schedule can be found below, followed by incoming and outgoing player transfers.
Friendly Match
Corinthians 2-3 Werder Bremen
Marcelo (1), Ailton (58) – Danny (22,49), Hugo Almeida (53)
Att: 21273
Corinthians 2-3 Werder Bremen
Marcelo (1), Ailton (58) – Danny (22,49), Hugo Almeida (53)
Att: 21273
Friendly Match
Middlesbrough 1-1 Werder Bremen
Sylvain Ebanks-Blake (45+1) – Engin Bekdemir (8)
Att: 14331
Middlesbrough 1-1 Werder Bremen
Sylvain Ebanks-Blake (45+1) – Engin Bekdemir (8)
Att: 14331
Friendly Match
Ankaraspor 2-3 Werder Bremen
Mehmet Çakir (14,30) – Stefano Celozzi (26), Rafael van der Vaart (47,85)
Att: 8867
Ankaraspor 2-3 Werder Bremen
Mehmet Çakir (14,30) – Stefano Celozzi (26), Rafael van der Vaart (47,85)
Att: 8867
Friendly Match
Athletic Club Bilbao 2-3 Werder Bremen
Fernando Llorente (35), José Calvo (45+1) – Marko Marin (47), Olexandr Aliev (61,78)
Att: 40139
Athletic Club Bilbao 2-3 Werder Bremen
Fernando Llorente (35), José Calvo (45+1) – Marko Marin (47), Olexandr Aliev (61,78)
Att: 40139
Friendly Match
Valencia 1-2 Werder Bremen
David Villa (17) – Valeri Domovchiyski (34,pen 48)
Att: 49794
Valencia 1-2 Werder Bremen
David Villa (17) – Valeri Domovchiyski (34,pen 48)
Att: 49794
Danny impressed many during Werder Bremen’s pre-season schedule
Transfers In
DR Stefano Celozzi (Stuttgart, 425k)
DM Javi Garcia (Benfica, free)
ST Fabien Robert (Feyenoord, £5 million)
ST Jørgen Mikkelsen (OB, £3 million)
ST Adrián Colunga (Villareal, £1.5 million)
DL Antonio López (Atletico Madrid, loan)
DL Fikret Durmus (Trabzonspor, loan)
DM Sergio Busquets (Barcelona, loan)
AM Engin Bekdemir (Manchester City, loan)
Transfers Out
DC Rovérsio (Bochum, 450k)
AM Aaron Hunt (Nürnberg, £1.2 million)
AML Cedric Makiadi (Getafe, £1 million)
AMR Matias Autret (Benfica, £1 million)
ST Kalu Uche (Offenbach, free)
ST Katlego Mphela (£1.5 million, Karlsruhe)
ST Marcus Rosenburg (£1 million, Karlsruhe)
ST Hugo Almeida (£2.5 million, Celtic)
Making a priority of upgrading the attacking options at Weserstadion, Thierry Zvunka has completely overhauled the striking department at the club. The ageing quartet from last season have all left, while fresh young blood has arrived in the shape of Jørgen Mikkelsen and Fabien Robert. Elsewhere, the signings that stand out are Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets arriving on loan, and fellow sitting midfielder Javi Garcia being signed on a Bosman transfer from Benfica. The two Spaniards will add fresh impetus to the Werder engine room, combining creativity and dogged determination when possession is lost. Elsewhere, it is interesting to note the arrival of Engin Bekdemir on loan – Zvunka took the young playmaker to Kilmarnock 3 seasons ago, and the mercurial talent was a standout in the Scottish First Division…it will be interesting to see if he can step up to a higher level after a couple more years of development.
New signings (l-r) Antonio López, Jørgen Mikkelsen, Sergio Busquets, Fabien Robert and Adrián Colunga
As far as the youth teams go, there have been 3 arrivals so far, with another on the way at the end of the season. With a fantastic reputation for unearthing gems, fans of Die Grün-Weißen will be hoping that Zvunka can again strike gold with Michel Esajas, Paul Adams and Kim Jae-Joon: Esajas arrives from Dutch side Telstar, the 16 year old midfielder having made 13 Eredivisie appearances last term; Adams comes from the famous Manchester United academy, and is a highly rated attacking midfield prospect; Jae-Joon joins the club from South Korean side Suwon, and is a versatile young frontman. In addition, Argentine winger Leandro Salvatierra will arrive in Bremen in July next year from Huracán, allowing the tricky attacker to get some more first-team experience before he joins the club.
Looking at the fees spent, most pressure seems to be on Fabien Robert. Playing under the stewardship of Zvunka at Feyenoord last season, scoring an impressive 16 goals in 24 league appearances for De Club van Zuid. He is technically excellent as well as possessing great speed, so should suit the Bundesliga well. Young Danish striker Jørgen Mikkelsen will primarily play second-fiddle to Robert as well as covering the attacking midfielders, and is said to be open to more improvement. When injuries and suspensions bite, he will get his chance to shine and cement a first-team spot. The cheapest of the attacking additions was Adrián Colunga, but he is arguably the best of the bunch – having fallen out with his gaffer at Villareal, he joined on a cut-price deal and should make an impact once recovered from a groin injury.
“It’s great to get underway, I feel like I’ve been waiting for years!” Zvunka tells http://www.werder.de - “I’ve been working hard all summer, both with Belgium at the World Cup and Werder Bremen since I came back from Brazil, so it’ll be nice to get back to normal league business.”
“I believe that the squad we have in place gives us a great shot at securing Champions League football for next season. Unfortunately, I feel that Bayern Munich are just too far ahead at the moment, but the adding the likes of Sergio Busquets signals our ambition. We’re aiming for a top three position this season, and will hopefully give Bayern a good challenge at the top if things go well.”
It will be a massive challenge for the rest of the Bundesliga to match the Munich side. In the summer, they spent £30 million on a single player, Nicolas Otamendi, to improve their squad still further. Such spending is the stuff of fantasy for the other clubs in this league, and the only way to get to that level is by Champions League participation. For now, Werder fans should look to the Europa League as an entertaining distraction, as despite having a shot at winning the tournament the Bundesliga is where our priorities lie this season.
Bring it on!
‘Les Bleus’ banish World Cup memories with spectacular start to Euro 2016 qualifiers
France 6-1 Romania - Wednesday 10th September 2014
France 6-1 Romania - Wednesday 10th September 2014
With a new man in charge and a vastly changed squad, the French side that began their journey to Euro 2016 this week were a world apart from the preceding 23 players that bowed out of the World Cup just a couple of months ago. Thierry Zvunka promised to give ‘Les Bleus’ fresh impetus and swagger, and it seems that his charges have taken on the message after an impressive demolition of Romania on Wednesday evening. The team played with all the style and flair that Zvunka’s young under-21 side was famed for, and it proved to be too much to handle for our visitors.
Expected to send out his first eleven in a 4-2-3-1 formation, Thierry Zvunka was (for once) second guessed by the football media. However, all was not as it seemed – rather than playing a largely narrow, short passing game that has become his trademark, the gaffer used out-and-out wingers in the attacking midfield trio. Encouraged to constantly run at the opposing full back, both Jeremy Ménez and Franck Ribéry caused all sorts of problems for the Romanians, and created masses of space in the middle for Joann Gourcuff to excel in as chief playmaker. In addition, both of his classic ball winning midfielders were encouraged to support attacking moves as much as possible, dominating the midfield battle. With added pressure coming from the onrushing wing-backs, the vast majority of the game was played out with the Romanians on the backfoot.
It took just 18 minutes to kick-start Zvunka’s reign with a goal. Collecting the ball in space, Gourcuff turned smartly and had an attempt from 30 yards out. With the goalkeeper making a mess of the save, the ball dropped to Benzema who slotted home easily. This initial setback seemed to knock the visitors, and things got gradually worse, with the next goal arriving on the half-hour mark…and it was something special! Some beautiful first touch football down the left flank left Menez in possession, who dinked a ball between the centre backs nonchalantly, leaving Gourcuff with the simple task of passing the ball into the net. Finally, it seemed that the fans were going to see what they expected from ‘Les Bleus’ – beautiful, successful attacking football at it’s best.
With the game all but won already, the players re-emerged with a confident swagger in their play. As the hour mark approached, two goals arrived within 5 minutes of each other: firstly, Benzema grabbed his second after drifting past some statuesque defending with ease, placing the ball in the bottom corner; then, Gourcuff completed his well deserved double, playing a one-two with the aforementioned Benzema before slamming home into the top corner. The fans loved what they were seeing, and Zvunka decided that the time was right to give two more players their chance to shine, introducing Garry Bocaly and Loïc Rémy to the action. Rémy made an immediate impression, and converted his enthusiasm into the fifth goal with 15 minutes remaining: using his pace to outstrip the Romanian defence, and put through one-on-one buy the excellent Gourcuff, it was yet another placed finish past the helpless Pantilimon. With the foot beginning to lift off the pedal somewhat, the Romanians grabbed a consolation on the counter attack, before anchorman Moussa Sissoko completed the rout in injury time with a powerful strike from outside the box.
The French fans and media alike left the national stadium delighted with what they had just seen, with some already declaring that we will be among the favourites for the tournament itself. There is a long way to go yet, but given the relative weakness of our qualifying group it seems like we are already on our way to Scotland and Wales 2016. With the competition being held in the land of his birth, whom he turned down to take the France job, it seems like another chapter in the career of Thierry Zvunka may well be writing itself!
The next games arrive in a months time, with a double-header against Poland and Bosnia to look forward to.
Quarterly Report: Die Werderaner off to sluggish start
Sunday 5th October 2014
Sunday 5th October 2014
With such positivity around the club as the season began, it is a little disappointing to be sitting well off the pace of the leaders in the Bundesliga, having stuttered in the early season – not our words, but those of manager Thierry Zvunka. In truth, circumstances haven’t suited the club, with world-class goalkeeper Tim Wiese picking up an injury that has ruled him out for 2 months, as well as heavy fixture congestion with DFB-Pokal and Europa League games piling up. On the bright side, we enter a two week break period on the back of an important win against Stuttgart, and currently occupy 5th spot in the league.
Niggling injuries and a congested schedule has meant that Thierry Zvunka has struggled to make adjustments to his tactics, with such a high level of player rotation from game to game. Now, he leaves to take France on the road, but will be leaving assistant manager Paco Ayestarán with clear instructions on changes to implement. As the manager himself admits, he hasn’t hit the ground running as quickly as he would have liked.
“It’s been tough, in all honesty. I must admit that I underestimated the amount of change between managing in the Eredivisie and the Bundesliga, and I’ve only just caught up! The pace and work rate of our opponents surprised me initially, while I’ve been used to patient and measured attacking build-up that isn’t allowed for the most part in this league. Now, it seems like our adjustments to tempo and work-rate are finally paying dividends. There is plenty of scope for improvement, but we’re on the right track.”
The Europa League has started well, on the other hand. Primarily using the group stages as an opportunity to try out squad players in various new roles, the competition has served to push both Marko Marin and Naldo firmly into the first team.
“Our performances in Europe have been encouraging so far, given that we’ve been fielding young and inexperienced sides. We should get through our group if we pay our opponents the right amount of respect, so I don’t feel that we are devaluing the trophy as some have suggested. Of course, we would like to be part of its bigger brother, but it’s another opportunity for silverware at the end of the day. Besides, the games we have played have influenced changes in our tactical setup generally.”
View attachment 98115
Europa League standings
Europa League standings
As far as the new boys go, it has been a mixed bag. Most impressive has been Spanish forward Adrien Colungá, quickly becoming a talisman up front with 4 goals in 5 starts, while marquee signing Fabien Robert has struggled to adapt thus far – however, his spectacular 30 yard strike against PSV shows just what he is capable of at his best.
“Fabien has been in the same boat as myself, struggling slightly to get up to speed with a new country and culture. I have no doubt that he will begin to show everyone just why we spent £5 million to get his services…after all, that strike in Europe shows just what he can do. The speed of Adrien’s adjustment, mind you, has been superb! I was delighted to successfully land him for such a small fee, and it seems like the Werder fans are beginning to take to him already. It always helps if you are scoring goals I suppose!”
Adrien Colungá has impressed early in his Die Grün-Weißen career
Going forward, what are the realistic aims and ambitions for the period up until the winter break, and beyond? Well, Zvunka’s focus remains constant, with the league his main priority, while success elsewhere would be a welcome addition.
“I said before we got started that the Bundesliga had to be our main priority, and I stick by that assertion. Everyone has been shocked by the start that Kaiserslautern have made, and it’s made our aim of grabbing a top three spot that little bit harder – it’s still well within reach, but our results must improve. Getting Tim back in goals will help us no end, but it must also be said that Mamadou Touré has proven himself as a reliable backup over the last month or so. Our creative players need to step up a level, as do our forwards. We’ve proven to be solid at the back, which is a good base to work on, but not good enough at converting chances. Myself and the lads are optimistic, and hopefully the fans will roar us on to achieving our goals.”
While we could have started a little better, we still find ourselves in a decent position with a quarter of the season gone. Now, with the players beginning to gel and their tactics adjusted to the demands of the league, Werder fans should be full of hope for our prospects this season. If we can avoid the dreaded run of draws, and begin to post more wins on the board, the top three is waiting…can we do it, or will it be another nearly campaign? We will find out soon enough!
France march on with double-headed delight
'Les Bleus' take control of qualifying group
'Les Bleus' take control of qualifying group
Thierry Zvunka’s ‘Les Bleus’ continue to march on, having come through a tough couple of qualifiers unscathed and sitting comfortably clear in their group. Despite some pundits being concerned with the relative youth of the squad, the manager did his job and guided his charges to maximum points. Now, it seems to be developing into a comfortable passage to Euro 2016, with hopes of ultimate success as high as they have ever been.
France 2-1 Poland, Saturday 11th October 2014
The double-header got off to a perfect start in the Stade de France, with the opening goal coming within the first 5 minutes of the match. Yoann Gourcuff collected the ball from the defence while in his own half, and launched into a mazy dribble at the Polish backline, tying the opposition in knots before unleashing an unstoppable 20 yard strike into the roof of the net. It was a stunning goal, and will be remembered for years to come. Unfortunately for the fans, Poland reacted well to going behind, and levelled up the scores on the half-hour, after a well worked counter attack. The match seemed to be heading for a disappointing draw, until Zvunka threw caution to the wind in the closing stages – encouraging his team to overload the defensive Polish side, Jérémy Menez finally broke through to clinch the victory with a scrappy headed finish past the despairing dive of Artur Boruc. Despite an abject performance overall, it was another important victory in the bag.
Bosnia 0-4 France, Wednesday 15th October 2014
With the manager keen to avoid a repeat of the sluggishness of the Poland match, he freshened up his first eleven to face Bosnia. Lassana Diarra was one of the incoming changes, and his experience helped to form the basis of an emphatic win for ‘Les Bleus’. Once again, the key men proved to be Jérémy Menez and Karim Benzema, splitting the 4 goals equally. It was a return to the form of our opening game, controlling the game by pushing our opponents high up the pitch and maintaining constant possession, with no little flair and invention on show. The final scoreline could, and indeed should, have shown a bigger gulf between the sides.
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The group as it stands
The group as it stands
France return to international action in the early part of 2015, with a friendly against World Cup holders Scotland having just been announced.
Best Lay-out on the site IMO, I hope you keep this going been a while since I've looked so best of luck at Bremen and France
Thanks toddzy! Sorry to disappoint you, but there is going to be a wee break in the story for a while, after this update - it's not over yet though!
Thursday 16th October
“We’ve just received some reports, unconfirmed as yet, from the Reuters newswire in France. Sources are telling us that the manager of the French national football team, Thierry Zvunka, has been involved in what is being described as a serious car crash, while returning home from Charles De Gaulle airport. He was travelling home after returning to France with the national football team, having been away in Bosnia & Herzegovina on Wednesday evening. Obviously we will bring you more on this breaking story as we get it, but as yet Zvunka’s condition is unknown.”
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“Moving on, we can bring you an update on our breaking news story from earlier, that France and Werder Bremen manager Thierry Zvunka had been involved in a serious car accident earlier this afternoon. The French Football Federation have just released a short statement, indicating that Zvunka is currently in a serious but stable condition in hospital, and will undergo emergency surgery in the next couple of hours. It also indicates that they are giving full support to his family at this time, and he remains in charge until further notice.”
“Reuters have been releasing little slips of information during the evening as they come to light, and this is what we know so far: Zvunka was travelling home from Charles De Gaulle airport early this afternoon, when high winds appear to have blown a heavy goods lorry into the path of his vehicle on a motorway bypass around Paris. There then followed a significant pile-up, involving several vehicles. As yet, there are no reported fatalities, but several motorists have been treated for minor injuries at the scene. We’ll keep you up to date as the evening progresses, but it seems that the manager is lucky to still be alive by the descriptions we have received from the scene.”
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...and with that, I'm going to pause this story for a week or two - basically, I've got an idea for a new story that I really want to give a go before the new game comes out, so I'm stopping this temporarily. Having read some great stories on here over the past month or so, I'm going to take a new idea and try to add in aspects of all the best threads here. Constantly writing news articles can get a wee bit boring, for both myself as the writer and you guys as the readers, so hopefully by mixing it up I'll create a better story.
Thierry Zvunka may or may not get through the night - if he does, I've no doubts that he will return to manage his way up the ladder once more! If/when I bring this back, I'm going to change the way it's written slightly - not the layout, which I'm happy with, but maybe adding in a bit more of a personal element.
Thanks to everyone for the comments and encouragement. Look out for the new story emerging in the next day or two!
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