Fritz: Werkself have 'very high quality'

Clemens, how are you in this special situation? Have you got used to the restrictions and protective measures arising from the coronavirus pandemic?
I'm fine. It took a couple of days to get used to the new situation and coming to terms with working from home. Family, child and nursery – you have to take all these things into consideration. As a family, we've got on really well. And it is possible to work on scouting from home. It's great for watching videos. But, of course, that's completely different from getting impressions at a game.

Let's start by taking a look at the past: You played for Bayer 04 from 2003 to 2006. What do you remember from your time at Leverkusen?
I came to Leverkusen from Karlsruhe back then and went into a team that was full of top players. It was difficult to get my place at first. But then I gained the necessary confidence and ended up feeling really at home at Leverkusen. Bayer 04 are a great, well organised and structured club where I really enjoyed playing. Unfortunately, after really settling in, I picked up an injury and was sidelined for a year. But then I had a really good time in the final season.

Are you still in contact with former teammates and officials?
I'm still in good contact with Bernd Schneider; I met up with Simon Rolfes in November of last year. I'm in contact with Jens Nowotny and Carsten Ramelow from time to time. I do hear from the lads occasionally.

Do you still follow the Werkself games?
Basically, I watch as many games as possible in my job. But I obviously look a bit closer at what's happening at my former club.

On Monday you're up against the Werkself with Werder. Are you looking forward to the game that also marks the restart of the Bundesliga?
I've got mixed feelings about this game. On the one hand, it's obviously great we’re getting started again. On the other hand, the question’s on my mind: what happens if…? You’ve got the example of Dresden where the whole team has been put in quarantine. It's clear to everyone we have a great responsibility as a club. It will be a long and hard road. In turns of form, it's very difficult for us to assess where we are as a club at the moment. There's nothing to compare yourself with. Nobody has experienced a situation like this before. In the close season you have friendlies and a good or less good feeling. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to the start against Leverkusen on Monday.

There hasn't been much time for either side to prepare. What sort of game are you expecting on Monday night?
What can you expect in a situation there's never been before? Of course, there's a completely different atmosphere when you play behind closed doors. Leverkusen are a team with a very high quality in their squad. They're very good at playing on the break and play very fast. And there's skill on top of that.

Both teams have something to play for. While the Black and Reds are fighting for a Champions League spot, Werder are currently in a relegation battle. Where will the teams finish at the end of the season?
We want to, and hopefully will, stay up at the end of the season. And I'd be happy if Leverkusen are in the Champions League next season.

Finally, let's return to your position: You are the head of the scouting section at Werder. How do you think the coronavirus pandemic will affect the next transfer window?
First of all, we’ll have to find out if the next transfer window will be extended. I think clubs will come to a decision very late on as everybody is waiting to see what happens. The transfer fees will probably level out and go down this year. I also think we'll see a lot of players on the market as clubs will obviously be thinking about where they can make savings. Of course, there will be a transfer market but we probably won't see the really high transfer fees.

Profile:
Clemens Fritz was born in Erfurt on 7 December 1980. Following on from the youth teams at Rot-Weiß Erfurt, he made the step up to professional football with VfB Leipzig. He signed the Leverkusen from Karlsruher SC in 2003. Fritz scored two goals for the Black and Reds in 49 appearances. He moved on to Bremen in 2006 where he ended his career in 2017. Today, Fritz is head of scouting at Werder.