Co-founder of the Bundesliga in 1963, Bayern’s rival at the top of German football from 1980 to 2010, Werder Bremen is in danger: penultimate of Bundesliga, the historic club is engaged in a knife fight to save its place in the elite.
We don’t have time for the slightest sag, we have seven finals to play and we have to play them all at 101 percent
, launches young and dynamic trainer Florian Kohfeldt, reinvigorated by the conquering state of mind that his men have shown in the last two games, a 1-0 victory in Freiburg and a poorly paid 0-0 draw Tuesday night against Mönchengladbach, a top-4 team.
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Because after the descent of the neighbor Hamburg in 2018, that of Bremen would be a trauma of the same level for German lovers of the tradition
. Present almost continuously since the creation of the single pool (only one season in D2, 1980-1981), this bastion of German football holds the record for participation in the Bundesliga: 56 seasons.
Four times champion, once winner of the double cup-championship (2004), Bremen also boasts a victory in the 1992 Cup Cup (2-0 against Monaco in the final), and a Cup final. UEFA 2009 (former name of the Europa League), as well as regular participation in the Champions League in the 2000s.
Klose, Micoud, Özil …
Stars like Rudi Völler, Miroslav Klose, Johan Micoud, Mesut Özil and other Claudio Pizarro wore the green jersey of the Hanseatic city during its heyday, under the leadership of two coaches who became legendary: Otto Rehhagel (1981-1995), the German Guy Roux
, and Thomas Schaaf (1999-2013), the man of the double in 2004.
But all of that on the eve of another crucial game Saturday (3:30 p.m.) at Schalke is just history. For ten years, the Werder has struggled most often in the second half of the table.
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And in this closed-door football spring, due to coronavirus, Bremen occupies the penultimate place in the ranking, five points behind the barragiste Düsseldorf and six behind the first non-relegationist, Mainz. With however a late match to play on June 3 against Frankfurt.
The Werder is in an endless downward spiral. Astonishing lethargy reigns on all floors
, commented the football magazine Kicker ten days ago, before the rebound in the last two matches.
It would have exploded …
Oddly, the Werder fans themselves, before the championship broke down due to coronavirus, did not put pressure on their leaders.
It is only in Bremen that we have such kind and wise supporters, in other cities it would have exploded a long time ago
, lamented this week in the local media Dieter Burdenski, former goalkeeper of the club, who would like to see the club react, if necessary by ousting the coach.
At the height of the storm, management continued to trust Kohfeldt: Florian is our best chance to avoid the descent
, repeats sports director Frank Baumann.
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Now 37, the man arrived on the bench in 2017 to save the team, already in distress, after the dismissal of Alexander Nouri. He managed to ensure the maintenance, winning the title ofcoach of the year
in Germany.
Since then, experts have seen him as another Julian Nagelsmann, figurehead of this generation of thirty-something technicians, both training enthusiasts. scientist
and a modern psychological approach.
To save a monument in danger, he only has seven meetings left: including the very high risk reception from Bayern Munich for the 32nd and antepenultimate day. Without supporters, of course.
– .
