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“Bremen will not press for 90 minutes”
JULIAN NAGELSMANN ON…
… the opposition:
I don’t think that Bremen will be pressing us against the wall for the entire 90 minutes. Their strongpoint is being dangerous on the counterattack with two quick players up top and a good structure at the back. They also have an enormous stadium with an incredible atmosphere. Werder are indeed very strong at home but we are capable of going there and winning. We’ll need to particularly watch out for Max Kruse. He is extremely dangerous in front of goal and is also good at setting others up. But, he always makes similar runs and we have an idea of how we need to defend against him.
… personnel:
Everyone who played against Borussia Dortmund is available. We have no new injuries to announce.
… the sporting situation:
We’ve put the match in Dortmund behind us as we have with every other defeat. I don’t think it is fair to always put everything down to the referee. We were quick to look at ourselves and reflect on why we didn’t win. We had enough chances to score three, four, even five times but we didn’t strike the ball well enough. That game is out of our head. Everything carries on as before.
… the sporting situation II:
I believe in fair play. Whoever finishes third should be the better team. That is just how it is.
HISTORY BETWEEN THE TEAMS:
TSG’s record against Werder does not make for good reading. “Hoffe” have only beaten Werder in the Bundesliga once, and that was a long time ago, back in August 2010 in a 4-1 victory. There have been seven draws during that period, whilst Bremen have come out on top on nine occasions. Since Julian Nagelsmann has been in charge of Hoffenheim, both fixtures have ended in a 1-1 stalemate.
THE OPPOSITION’S FORM:
It has been very good. Alexander Nouri’s side did lose 4-3 to 1. FC Köln last week but that was their first defeat since the middle of February. Werder have the third best record when it comes to teams’ results in the second half of the season, one place ahead of TSG. Bremen have picked up 29 points since matchday 18, scored 34 goals and conceded just 15. This fine run of form has seen Werder leapfrog the table up compared to when they were in 15th place before the winter break. With just one point separating Bremen and sixth place, they still have a chance of qualifying for the Europa League.
THE KEY DUEL:
Two players in particular have stood out for the Green-Whites – Thomas Delaney and Max Kruse. Delaney joined from Copenhagen at Christmas and has helped the club to stabilise its midfield. He has also impressed from set-pieces, scoring four goals and providing one assist. Max Kruse has become a key player up front. Many had already written him off in 2016 but he has found his rhythm again in 2017, scoring 12 goals since the turn of the year. Should TSG manage to keep these two at bay, their chances against Bremen will certainly not be bad…
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