The last break of the Bundesliga is underway before the final nine games are played. We used the week without a game to take a look at the Werder players. Most readers will know that Niclas Füllkrug is the top goalscorer in the league with 15 goals, but here are some statistics that should be less familiar to some.
Finishers: Even without being a fan of the Green-Whites, there is no stronger striker duo in the Bundesliga than Niclas Füllkrug and Marvin Ducksch. The “ugly birds” did not only demonstrate their impressive connection in Mönchengladbach, and it is no wonder that the two are targets for their teammates time and time again. Only Marcus Thuram has attempted more shots (76) than “Fülle” (70) and “Duckschi” (63). The two have even set up more shots on goal for each other (37) than Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi (36).
Regulars: Among outfield players, only Micky Van de Ven (VfL Wolfsburg) and Matthias Ginter (SC Freiburg) have played all of the total 2,250 minutes in the Bundesliga this season. In the Werder squad, a change took place in the rankings of the regular players on matchday 25, since Jiri Pavlenka (2,009 minutes) was out at the last minute. Niclas Füllkrug (2,119) now has the most playing time, with Marvin Ducksch also just behind the Czech Republic international Pavlenka in this statistic.
Ball-winners: The centre back partnership of Amos Pieper and Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund) won the U21 European Championship in 2021. Only Schlotterbeck and Konstantinos Mavropanos (VfB Stuttgart) have a better tackle percentage (68.2% and 65.8% respectively) than our summer newcomer (64.1%). Pieper is even more comfortable in aerial duels, where only Gladbach’s Joe Scally is more proficient (76.9%) than the 25-year-old (73.6%).
Passing machines: The position just in front of the defence plays an important role in Ole Werner’s game. Ilia Gruev and Christian Groß play in the “six” role well aware of this responsibility and rarely misplace passes. Gruev has the best passing percentage in the squad (90.9%), with Groß close behind (89.7%). In the opposition half, the passing machines even improve this figure, with Groß (92) and Gruev (91.9%) at the top of the Bundesliga in the statistic.
Long-distance runners: Köln’s Ellyes Skhiri is in a league of his own in the Bundesliga when it comes to running (291.9 km), but in Ole Werner’s squad there are some players who stand out in their distance covered. It is unusual that a striker leads the rankings, and no attacker has run more in the top division than Marvin Ducksch. The 240.6 km that the 29-year-old has covered on the pitch roughly corresponds to the distance travelled from Bremen to his home city of Dortmund. Anthony Jung, however, is only behind by 400 meters at 240.2 km.
Sprinters: Lee Buchanan ran to a record at Borussia Park! The Englishman was the fastest Werder player on the pitch in Mönchengladbach with 34.5 km/h. The 21-year-old is therefore third in the squad rankings, with only Mitchell Weiser and Eren Dinkci (both 35.1 km/h) having been faster this season. Karim Adeyemi (36.7 km/h) is still the fastest in the Bundesliga.
