Werder Bremen manager Horst Steffen has criticised Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface following their 3-0 Bundesliga loss to Freiburg at the Weserstadion on Saturday.
Bremen endured a frustrating evening as Vincenzo Grifo’s first-half penalty put Freiburg in front, Junior Adamu doubled the lead after the break, before Karim Coulibaly’s late own goal sealed a comfortable victory for Christian Streich’s side.
The hosts’ best opportunity came from the spot in the second half, but Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu produced a superb save to maintain his clean sheet.
Boniface, currently on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, was singled out by Steffen for failing to maintain positional discipline. Speaking to Sky (via Getfootballnewsgermany), the Bremen coach said: “For me, he was too all over the place. It’s okay for him to remain stationary in the centre. It wasn’t how I wanted it to be. It wasn’t just him, but a lot of the guys who weren’t staying in their positions.
“We have to stick to our positions so we can overload them again and again. That’s something I’ll be addressing.”
The Nigerian forward struggled to provide a focal point in attack and was unable to influence proceedings as Bremen slumped to their second defeat of the season.
The result leaves the Green-Whites 14th in the Bundesliga table with just four points, while Freiburg climbed further up the standings.
Boniface had made a bright start to life in Bremen colours, registering an assist on his debut in the 4-0 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach. However, the 24-year-old has since found it difficult to replicate that early impact.
Last season, he registered eight goals and one assist in 19 Bundesliga appearances for Leverkusen, averaging a goal contribution every other game despite limited starts.
He was also instrumental in Leverkusen’s historic 2023/24 campaign, scoring 14 league goals and 21 in all competitions as Xabi Alonso’s men clinched a Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double without losing a single match, an achievement that earned him the Bundesliga Rookie of the Year award.
