Bayer04-TV: 12 min Interview with Michael Ballack

Follow this link and enjoy: Bayer04-TV (english)

Game Report: Friendly, Bayer Leverkusen vs Schalke 04 4:0

 
Bayer 04 showed a good performance today against Schalke in Wuppertal. The game was won by 4:0, with a decent comeback of Simon Rolfes who scored a goal.

Here are the stats of this friendly:

Bayer 04:
Giefer – Castro(64.Vidal),Schwaab,Friedrich,Balitsch – Rolfes(45.Reinartz),Ballack – Sam,Bender,Jørgensen(70.Renato Augusto) – Helmes.

Schalke 04:
Unnerstall – Junmin(30.Plestan),Höwedes,Metzelder,Escudero – Kluge(55.Fahrenhorst),Jones,Jurado,Schmitz(46.Baumjohann) – Edu(55.Quotschalla), Raul.

Goals: 1:0 Jørgensen (7.), 2:0 Rolfes (29.), 3:0 Helmes (53.), 4:0 Helmes (90.)

Simon Rolfes: “It was agreed that I would not play 90 minutes today.  For the first game after such a long injury, I am very satisfied with how it went.  Scoring a goal too is wonderful.  But the Bundesliga is totally different, I will have to keep working.”

Jupp Heynckes: “My team has played very well today, we have been dangerous in attack and shown a good performance at the back.”

See the goals on Bayer04-TV

Ballack played 90 minutes in a friendly against SV Wehen-Wiesbaden

 

Bayer 04: Fernandez – Balitsch, Vida, Sarpei, Kadlec (79. Weiler) – Bender (46. Grummel) Ballack – Risse (85. Ribeiro), Kaplan (85. Zieba), Barnetta (85. Marquet) – Derdiyok (76. Siefkes)

Goals: 1:0 Barnetta (15.), 2:0 Derdiyok (17.), 3:0 Barnetta (23.), 4:0 Risse (74.)

Michael played as a captain this friendly, which was won by 4:0 with the goals of: Barnetta (2x), Derdiyok and Risse.  In the Video Link below you can watch some match scenes of this game. Ballack gave an assist in Risse’s goal at the end but the camera did not catch that.  

The game was not open to the public, but there were some fans present who had been watching the training earlier.

In the interview with Bayer04-TV Ballack said: “It was important today, that I could play this match without any problems in my ankle.  We will see if I can play in Dortmund, I have been in team-training for 3-4 days and still need some days to be at 100%.
We have started very well the season yesterday in the DFB-Pokal, now we have a very important match in the Europa League and then on Sunday Dortmund. I am happy that the season has started, it has been a tough recovery and I am looking forward to play.”

Heynckes: “I am satisfied about the game today. We have played very well and created a lot of chances, and scored some very nice goals.
It was also important for Michael after 3 months of his injury, to play again a proper match. He has played ok for the preparation he had. Obviously he is not in top form, he will need to gain that in the next days in the training sessions and from match to match.”

Video-Link: Bayer04-TV

Michael Ballack back in full training with the team

 

He won’t be playing in the German Cup this week, but as you can see in the link below (Video), he has fully participated in today’s training session.

So he could be back against Dortmund!

Rolfes recovery will still take time. Adler and Barnetta are back from little injuries.

Link: Video Bayer 04-TV (german)