2017 was a year of two halves for SV Werder Bremen. In the first half of the year, Werder Bremen could not stop picking up points as they went on an eleven-game unbeaten run. In Autumn however, the tide changed. This time, the Green-Whites were 11 games without a win. 2017 was the year of a Werder of two halves.
October 2017. Trees were still all over the ground in Bremen after all the chaos caused by Storm Xavier. Everyone in Bremen was eager for something positive to happen, even the Werder Bremen players. And indeed, the fans and players were hoping that the upcoming match against FC Augsburg would be the perfect chance for Werder to pick up their first win of the season. The whole city was full of anticipation for the match, however it just was not meant to be. Augsburg saw off a poor SV Werder Bremen side with three goals to take home the three points. The following day, Werder relieved head coach Alexander Nouri of his duties. He failed to get the balance between attacking and defending right, proven by the statistic that no other team in the league had conceded as many goals as Werder. Florian Kohfeldt took over as caretaker manager.
Last season, April was a particularly good month for Werder. The Green-Whites picked up 16 of a possible 18 points in six league matches. What an incredible run! Everyone was asking the same question - how long are they going to keep this up for? Will Werder be playing in Europe next season? Werder Bremen were scoring three goals on average per game.
And who scored in all five wins in April? Max Kruse. He scored the first from the penalty spot, the second after a mix up in the six-yard box and the third was a cracking shot from the edge of the box. The fourth was gifted to Kruse as he was too quick for the goalkeeper and poked the ball past him into the net.
Kruse was not the only player performing well for Werder in April. Bartels was also scoring regularly, Delaney was controlling the midfield and young players Maximilian Eggestein and Serge Gnabry were constantly in the spotlight with their impressive performances.
May 2017. Unfortunately, Werder did not win any of their last three games of the season. Werder did not manage to qualify for a European competition but the team was incredibly proud of their comeback to finish 8th. Werder did, however, manage to score two goals in all three games, but they conceded four goals twice and even five against Hoffenheim. Alexander Nouri’s task for next season was clear – improve Werder’s defence as much as the attack and the team will qualify for Europe.
Fast-forward. Frankfurt, early November 2017. It is Florian Kohfeldt first match in charge. The team put on an impressive performance and deserved to walk away with a point. Kohfeldt was promoted from caretaker manager to permanent head coach.
And then the points starting coming in. Werder’s eleven match winless run came to an end. With a new manager, the team felt like they could start their season again. Unfortunately, the season came to a halt just a few weeks later with the winter break.
It has been an intense, wild year for SV Werder Bremen. The club really has been through it all. Happy New Year from everyone here at SV Werder Bremen! We cannot wait to see you all next season!
