I know I posted this in another Bremen thread but the more people informed, the better. Here's a lowdown on Werder Bremen for anyone interested:
- They play 4-1-2-1-2 a.k.a 4-4-2 'diamond'
- Mehmet Ekici is a new Turkish-German signing and they are hoping he replaces Mesut Ozil, who they've missed since he was sold to Madrid last August.
- Their current injuries are: Naldo, Seb Boenisch, Per Mertesacker, Seb Prodl, Claudio Pizarro and Mikael Silvestre.
- Their fans have told me Marko Marin is one-to-watch. They described him as a ""Dribbelkönig" (Dribble king) but they also said sometimes he tries to dribble too much and is found offering nothing to the team cause. Having said that, it's common opinion amongst Bremen fans they would have been relegated without him last season. They finished 5 points above the relegation zone despite being a Champions League team. It seems they have really hit some tough times.
- They have two highly-rated youngsters in Lennart Thy and Florian Trinks. Both German youth internationals.
- Pizarro's replacement will probably be Marko Arnautovic. He's considered a 'bad boy' in Germany, lots of controversy surrounding him. He was also a major flop for them last season, his first at the club. Jose Mourinho once had a public fall out with him. In other words, he's the Austrian Torres.
- The don't expect the stadium to be full but the stand their ultras sit in is close to selling out.
- They lost their last match 2-1 to Heidenheim in the DFB Pokal. Their fans were so annoyed they protested and sat in front of the team bus so it couldn't leave the stadium.
