Goal.com

The retired Austrian midfielder backed his compatriot to prove his doubters wrong in the new season, while stating that the club can finish in the European qualification zone

EXCLUSIVE
By John C. Brandi

Former Werder Bremen midfielder Andreas Herzog has voiced his belief that Marko Arnautovic can score up to 15 goals for the Weserstadion outfit this season.

The Austria international has not been able to make his mark at the Bundesliga club following his transfer from Twente in 2010, scoring five goals in all competitions in his debut season, and six in his second one.

However, Herzog, who retired from football in 2004, called on his compatriot to show his true colours for Thomas Schaaf's side in the new season following the loss of Claudio Pizarro to Bayern Munich.

"Marko is now in his third year at Werder, he can score 15 goals this season," the 43-year-old told Goal.com. "But he should not have so much pressure on him.

"He needs to stay calm. The fans cannot expect him to perform any miracles on his own. Last year, he showed some positive things, then came his red card against Hannover. After that he was injured.

"He must now show his true potential. Werder needs him after Pizarro's departure."

After Werder Bremen finished in ninth position in the Bundesliga last season, Herzog thinks that the time has come for a 'new beginning at the club'.

"With Arnautovic and Eljero Elia, that is possible," Herzog added. "I hope it goes well.

"Nils Petersen may not have played that much at Bayern, but he scored a lot of goals in the club's B team.

"I would like to see Werder achieve great things. I hope that they can succeed. Qualifying for the Champions League may not be possible, but they should be able to finish in the European qualification zone."

Herzog is now working as an assistant to Jurgen Klinsmann in the United States national team, and the Austrian is relishing his side's chances of making an impression at the 2014 World Cup.

"This is an interesting task, and it is fun to work with Klinsmann. This is a new challenge. I cannot say that this is the best US team in history because I do not know much about the previous team.

"But we do not only want to qualify for the World Cup, we want to see how far we can go there."