Niclas Füllkrug has called for patience after Werder Bremen suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to Freiburg on the opening day of the Bundesliga season.

Niclas Füllkrug for Bremen.

Photo: Daniela Porcelli / Getty Images.

Niclas Füllkrug has admitted that Werder Bremen still have plenty of work to do after their disappointing start to the new Bundesliga season.

Werder suffered a 4-1 defeat away at Freiburg on Sunday, with Yuito Suzuki scoring a hat-trick for the hosts. The result came just one day after midfielder Jens Stage suffered a serious thigh injury in training, adding to Bremen’s difficult preparation for the campaign.

“We weren't in the best position after the developments of the last few weeks,” Füllkrug said after the match, highlighting the difficult circumstances surrounding the team.

The striker also pointed to Stage's injury as a major blow. “We had a big loss yesterday with Stage's injury. We immediately felt it in training and today in the game.”

According to Füllkrug, Werder are still in the process of developing the understanding required to perform consistently as a team.

“I have the feeling that the team still has to find itself on the pitch. That will come with more games and more automatisms.”

That lack of cohesion was particularly evident during the defeat in Freiburg. Werder struggled to create clear chances and conceded three times in the opening ten minutes of the second half before eventually pulling one goal back through Dariusz Stalmach.

“We saw today a few times that we don't yet know our routines with each other precisely enough,” Füllkrug explained. “That cost us goals and ultimately the game.”

Füllkrug's return to Bremen therefore ended in disappointment, with the 33-year-old unable to prevent his former club from suffering a heavy defeat. Werder will now have to quickly find their rhythm as they look to avoid another difficult campaign.