Werder Bremen is rising – HSV in the relegation”>Kohfeldt‘s Emotional Return: Darmstadt Coach Faces Former Club Werder Bremen in DFB Cup Clash
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Darmstadt coach Florian Kohfeldt is experiencing a whirlwind of emotions ahead of his team’s DFB Cup round of 16 encounter against his former club, Werder Bremen, on Tuesday evening.
“Playing against Werder doesn’t just make me happy. It’s something I couldn’t have imagined for a very long time,” admitted the 42-year-old in a recent interview. Kohfeldt took over the helm of the Lilien in September, and in just eleven competitive matches, his new squad has amassed an impressive 22 points.
His time with Werder Bremen represented the bulk of his coaching career. He even steered them to Bundesliga promotion, before moving on to VfL Wolfsburg and a stint with KAS Eupen in the Belgian first division.
“With my time at Werder, I specifically wanted to gain new experiences. Now I look more consciously at where I can use my strengths and make an impact as a trainer. Darmstadt fits in very well,” said Kohfeldt.
While promotion to the Bundesliga isn’t off the table, it’s not currently a primary focus. “The club is coming off a very difficult year and a half marked by few successes. For us, it’s about playing a season with stable development and building a foundation for the future. That was also the premise on which I agreed to come here. We want to develop a game idea, make players better and not have to worry about the third league. To be honest, things looked different here at the beginning of September, especially in the public eye,” he explained.
Kohfeldt’s departure from Wolfsburg after just 28 games in May 2022 remains a sensitive topic. “Of course I’m not proud of being released from Wolfsburg after just seven months, but if you look at the circumstances in a little more detail, you can look at it differently without me wanting to go into it in more detail,” he said diplomatically.
He is, however, pleased to see Werder regain its place in the Bundesliga after an immediate return in 2022. “That makes it a little easier for me when I look back. But being relegated from the Bundesliga with Werder Bremen still causes me deep pain to this day. It will stay that way. It’s part of my story,” Kohfeldt confessed.
Before the end of the 2020/21 season, Werder pulled the ripcord and replaced Kohfeldt with club legend Thomas Schaaf, who ultimately couldn’t prevent relegation.
In a separate interview on “Sky,” Kohfeldt expressed his immense comfort in his new surroundings: “I was a bit in love with it at first sight. What I found here is an incredibly warm, family-run club, in a way comparable to Bremen.”
He elaborated: “This whole city is infected by this club. It means an incredible amount to people what’s happening here with the team and the club. With the culture of this club, I have the feeling that it has a very, very large overlap with my values and also with my strengths. And so I’m really excited about this club, about this location and I’m really happy that I can be part of it.”
What complex emotions does Kohfeldt experience when facing his former team, Werder Bremen, and why?
## Kohfeldt’s Return: An Emotional DFB Cup Clash
**Interviewer:** Florian Kohfeldt is gearing up to face his former team, Werder Bremen, in the DFB Cup Round of 16. Clearly, this encounter holds a lot of significance for him.
**Guest:** Absolutely. As the article states, Kohfeldt admits that facing Werder isn’t just a happy occasion; it brings up complex emotions. He emphasizes that this matchup is something he “couldn’t have imagined for a very long time”. [ [1](https://www.sat1regional.de/newsticker/kohfeldt-ueber-bremen-rueckkehr-loest-nicht-nur-freude-aus/) ].
**Interviewer:** You know, it’s interesting that his time at Bremen was such a defining chapter. He achieved Bundesliga promotion with them, a monumental accomplishment. What motivated his departure then?
**Guest:** While he cherishes his time at Bremen, Kohfeldt himself says he sought out new experiences [[1](https://www.sat1regional.de/newsticker/kohfeldt-ueber-bremen-rueckkehr-loest-nicht-nur-freude-aus/) ]. He went on to manage VfL Wolfsburg and KAS Eupen in Belgium, demonstrating his desire to broaden his horizons.
**Interviewer:** So, Darmstadt provides him with a fresh start, a new challenge.
**Guest:** Precisely. He seems focused on building something solid with Darmstadt. While Bundesliga promotion is not being ruled out, he’s taking a more measured approach. The team has had a strong start under his leadership, accumulating impressive points.
* **Interviewer:** It seems like Tuesday’s match will be a truly emotional event for Kohfeldt, returning to his former stomping ground.
**Guest:** It undoubtedly will be. All eyes will be on him to see how he navigates this emotional rollercoaster and leads his Darmstadt side against a formidable opponent.
