Senne Lynen is a regular starter for SV Werder, having starting 32 of 34 Bundesliga games last season. The Belgian recently extended his contract at the club, signalling his importance to the Green-Whites. On the ninth day of training camp in Austria, the 26-year-old spoke to the media from the mixed zone and touched on…
…the intensity of training camp: “My muscles aren’t too stiff. The majority of the players are just dealing with some tired legs because the pitch is very soft when it rains. But that’s also normal after [nine] days of training camp.”
…the new coaching staff: “Horst Steffen is very easy-going. He’s very relatable and takes the time to speak with every player. So far, I think it’s been very easy to work with the entire coaching staff. Grosso brings the experience of several Bundesliga games. Rapha speaks several languages. That all helps.”
…his role within the team: “There are a few things that have changed. We’re playing more with two defensive midfielders in front of our defence. At the same time, we’re less focused on man-marking and covering the spaces. We have to direct ourselves a bit more and think a bit more, which I really enjoy.”
…his decision to extend his contract and stay at Werder: “Everything just worked extremely well here. We met from February onwards and were later able to reach an agreement. Everything here feels good for me and I’ll be able to take further steps forward here. It didn’t make any sense for me to go anywhere else. I’ve settled in here — I know everyone at the club. We came close twice to qualifying for Europe. That proves that anything is possible here, and that we can achieve that as well.”
…his time at Werder so far: “So far, it’s been a steady climb for me. When I arrived, the first few months were tough but things then started to look up in the second half of the season and have continued on like that until now. I want to continue to build on this.”
…the club’s importance to his life: “It’s difficult to put it into words. Several of our opponents tell us in the player’s tunnel that playing at the Weserstadion is their favourite match of the season. It’s also incredible for us to get to play here. It’s a fantastic stadium with fantastic fans. The pitch is also great.”
The first round of the DFB-Pokal is always tough. That was also the case against Cottbus or Viktoria Köln. It doesn’t matter if we’re up against Bielefeld or a different second- or third-division side.Senne Lynen
...Arminia Bielefeld: “The first round of the DFB-Pokal is always tough. That was also the case against Cottbus or Viktoria Köln. It doesn’t matter if we’re up against Bielefeld or a different second- or third-division side. We will analyse them again as they play a little differently now, as do we.”
…the players from the Werder U19s joining the team: “It’s all new for them, as they’re all still very young. But there are a couple of lads that are doing a great job and that have settled in well. For example, Karim Coulibaly has made good progress. He was part of the team last season already, but he’s doing a good job now too.”
…his fellow Belgians in the dressing room: “Samuel is doing well. He’s just come back from holiday and is getting to know everything. There’s a lot he’ll still have to learn in Bremen. He also speaks Flemish, so I’m sure we’ll speak to each other. I wish Olivier all the best. We have a new head coach, so it’s also like a fresh start for him. He played the full 90 minutes in several matches in Belgium. Our new coach and his new formation will also be a good fit for him, in my opinion.”
…having his parents and family visit during training camp: “They took some holiday recently and came for five days. They had time to see me, which was nice because it doesn’t happen that often. They live in Belgium and I’m in Bremen, so it’s nice for all of us.”
