Team Focus: Werder Bremen - Youngsters Coming Through

Werder Bremen have been under the stewardship of Thomas Schaaf for nearly 13 years and his reign has brought a series of ups-and-downs for the Werder faithful.

The 50-year-old has been at the Weser Stadion since 1978, where he made nearly 300 appearances as a player, before coaching the Werder youth teams and becoming assistant coach in the mid-1990s. His appointment in 1999 came at a tough time for the River Islanders and he steered the Northern German club away from relegation and even got his hands on the DFB Pokal (German FA Cup).

Despite winning the Bundesliga in 2004, Werder have generally finished in the European positions with three consecutive Champions League finishes in recent years.

But next season could, arguably, be the biggest task facing the popular Schaaf in his 13-year spell as the head coach at the Weser.

The departure door has been wide-open in recent weeks with star Peruvian hitman Claudio Pizarro reportedly on his way to FC Bayern in the summer. Pizarro has been an integral part of Werder’s side this season with the 33-year-old scoring 46% of the club’s goals this season.

Going back to August, Werder Bremen lost their towering central defender Per Mertesacker to Arsenal and the 27-year-old German international had been a stalwart for the club over a five-year career in Bremen. His former defensive partner Naldo has already handed in a transfer request and could be on his way back to his native Brazil.

Following the influential pair in the summer, goalkeeper Tim Wiese is close to agreeing a deal with TSG Hoffenheim after reports this week suggested the Bremen stopper has been locked in talks with Markus Babbel. Wiese has made over 200 appearances for Bremen since joining the club in 2005 and will be a huge loss to Schaaf’s side.

With Pizarro, Naldo, Wiese and Marin heading for the exit door – who are next in line to wear the famous Green shirt?

It would appear as though Werder Bremen are following a similar plan to that of Hamburg SV by looking to cut the wage bill drastically, in favour of a well-budgeted and young side on the park. The club can no longer guarantee Champions League football with Werder in eighth position after finishing 13th last campaign and sporting director Klaus Allofs is looking to cut his cloth accordingly.

As things stand, Wiese will be replaced by 22-year-old keeper Sebastian Mielitz who has deputised for the Werder Bremen veteran on seven occasions this season. The stopper has a WhoScored rating of 5.97 but Schaaf’s men have won just one match from seven with the rookie keeper between the sticks. However, Mielitz has shown on a number of occasions – versus the likes of Augsburg, Nurnberg and Dortmund – that he is a more than capable replacement for Wiese next season.

Given the lack of resources for Schaaf in defence, it is a certainty that the club will sign another central-defender to replace the out-going Naldo. Left-back Lukas Schmitz and full-backs Clemens Fritz and Sokratis are three of the more experienced men in the side and will be invaluable next term.

But a positive for Werder Bremen is the host of impressive young talent coming through in the centre of the park. Felix Kroos (21) is highly-rated by Schaaf and could be the man to fill the huge “No.10” role which is so crucial to the 4-3-1-2 system that Bremen have been so accustomed to. Kroos has made just one sub appearances this season with a WhoScored rating of 5.82, though he has scored four goals in eight sub appearances for Werder II.

Another option for the “No.10” position is 20-year-old Florian Trinks who has a WhoScored rating of 6.16 from three starts and two sub appearances in the Bundesliga. Trinks was impressive against FC Bayern at the weekend and has a pass completion ratio of 83.5% from 115 attempts. The attacking-midfielder has been a regular for Germany’s youth sides, representing the national team from U15-U19 level.

One of the positions that Schaaf has struggled to fill this season has been the defensive-midfield role which was vacated by Thorsten Frings in the summer. But 19-year-old Tom Trybull has provided reason to be optimistic with 12 league appearances for Werder, with one goal and one assist this season. Trybull has a WhoScored rating of 6.75 and has a pass completion ratio of 82.2% from 596 attempts.

Trybull is a versatile player who has played in the defensive role on three occasions this campaign and was a solid performer against FC Bayern on Saturday. The youngster has a tidy range of passing and as a defensive-minded player, he is very capable in defensive areas for Werder. Trybull has made, on average, 2.8 tackles and 2.8 interceptions per game and makes an average of 45.8 passes every match.

Werder Bremen’s Serbian trio could also be highly involved next season, with Aleksandar Ignjovski making over 22 appearances in the Bundesliga this year. The 21-year-old is naturally a right-sided midfielder but has performed across the backline and in a defensive-midfield position under Schaaf. Ignjovski has a WhoScored rating of 6.71 and has one assist to his name this season, with a pass completion ratio of 77.6% from 932 attempts.

Ignjovski’s Serbian team-mates Aleksandar Stevanovic (20) and Zlatko Junuzovic (24) have been involved in just 14 matches combined this season, with Junuzovic making 13 of those appearances and reaching a WhoScored rating of 6.71. Stevanovic joined the club in the summer for nearly £4m but has yet to stake a claim for a regular position in his time in Germany.

Saturday’s match against FC Bayern saw Schaaf reverting to a 4-4-2 diamond formation with Trybull, Trinks, Junuzovic and Bargfrede in midfield due to a major injury crisis at the club, with no fewer than eight players on the sidelines.

But despite the disappointing exits of some of Werder’s star-men, there are signs of encouragement for Thomas Schaaf and Klaus Allofs with a host of young players bursting on the scene at the Weser Stadion.

It is imperative though, that Werder don’t get carried away with the future and end up in a position like local rivals Hamburg next year.