Things are looking up again for Werder Bremen. After a difficult first half of the campaign, the Green-Whites have stabilised under the stewardship of Florian Kohfeldt. They’ve been the sixth-best side in the second half of the campaign, moving comfortably clear of the relegation battle below. Furthermore, key duo Fin Bartels and Philipp Bargfrede extended their contracts this week, although Bartels is out for the rest of the season with an Achilles tear.
Options in attack
With Max Kruse, loanee Ishak Belfodil, Florian Kainz, Aron Johansson and January signing Milot Rashica, Bremen have plenty of options in attack, and that suits Kohfeldt down to the ground. The 35-year-old coach, whose first game in charge was the 2-1 defeat in Frankfurt on Matchday 11, is a big proponent of attacking football. Bremen have been particularly strong at home and remain unbeaten in their eight Bundesliga games at the Weserstadion since Kohfeldt took over.
Still, Kohfeldt is refusing to take it easy despite his side’s good position in the table: “We’re not safe yet and I want us to keep developing with a view to next season.” In particular, Kohfeldt sees room for improvement in his side’s build-up play. The new main man at Werder has respect for Eintracht, too: “At Dortmund you could see that Frankfurt never give up and they’re extremely fit.”
Three to watch
Max Kruse: A guarantee for success
Max Kruse and Werder Bremen are made for one another. With six goals and nine assists to his name, Kruse has been involved in half of all Bremen’s goals this season. Only Freiburg’s Nils Petersen has had a hand in more of his team’s goals.
Philipp Bargfrede: Number 44 back to his best
Philipp Bargfrede has been wearing the No44 shirt for nine seasons now – and will wear it for a good while longer after extending his contract during the week. The midfielder suffered from persistent injuries under previous coaches Alexander Nouri and Viktor Skrypnyk but is blossoming again under Kohfeldt. Tough tackling and good pressing characterise the 29-year-old, who made his Bundesliga debut against Eintracht in August 2009.
Maximilian Eggestein: A new homegrown hero
Alongside Bargfrede in the Werder midfield is another homegrown player, Maximilian Eggestein. The 21-year-old has already established himself as a key figure in the side having risen through the youth ranks since 2011. The Hanover-born talent has also made a name for himself in the Germany Under-21 team and was involved in their recent European Championship qualifiers against Israel and Kosovo.
