Werder Bremen Coach Criticises Boniface After Draw Against Mainz

Werder Bremen head coach Horst Steffen publicly criticized forward Victor Boniface following his team’s 1-1 away draw against Mainz 05. The 24-year-old striker, currently on loan from Bayer 04 Leverkusen, has yet to score for Die Grün-Weißen since joining on the final day of the summer transfer window.

Boniface has been struggling with both fitness and injury issues, which even led the club to develop special dieting and physiotherapy plans to help him regain form.

Despite previously showing support for the former Union Saint-Gilloise player, Steffen was clearly unhappy with Boniface's effort at the MEWA Arena.

“There were one or two situations in which I thought, oh come, he can solve that even better,” the 56-year-old coach stated. He acknowledged the striker's strength, saying, “The fact that he asserts himself in front of the duels is one reason why he is already important for us anyway.”

However, Steffen stressed the striker needs to improve significantly. “Boniface seems to have taken steps forward. However, he has not yet arrived at his destination, and I believe that it is still a longer way.”

He urged the player to focus on his core game: “He should claim balls and fight many battles, because that is one of his strengths. Nevertheless, he may then also put in the direction of the sixteen actions.”

This isn't the first time the coach has openly criticized Boniface. After the 0-3 loss to Freiburg, Steffen commented on the Nigerian’s poor positioning, saying, “It was too much ‘everywhere’ for me. It may be that he is more in the centre. It wasn’t as I wished.” Boniface’s ongoing struggles have reportedly caused his market value to dip.