The buildup to this past weekend’s Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen match had all the themes common in Biblical writing. There were talks of floods, revenge, and brother against brother.
But Storm Xaver didn’t cause the high levels of water that were expected and the match was given the green light to proceed at the Weserstadion. Bremen midfielder Felix Kroos never made an appearance against his sibling, Bayern’s Toni Kroos. As for the revenge angle, that was mostly just the media stirring up juicy story lines, such as describing Robin Dutt as a retribution-seeking coach still hung up over his former Bayer Leverkusen side’s 7-1 hammering at the hands of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in 2012.
This time around the score wasn’t any less flattering. Bayern swept die Gruen-Weissen 7-0, prompting fullback Clemens Fritz to comment: “For me it was the most frustrating game since I’ve been at Werder."
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With Bremen sitting just five points above the drop zone, it’s clear the weekend loss only brought their problems to the surface. The team lacks consistency and quality. It has defensive and goalkeeping issues and next to Hoffenheim has conceded more goals (34) than any other team in the Bundesliga.
Dutt understands his side’s needs defensive reinforcements, as Bremen has consistently over the past few years been among the teams that have let in the most goals in the league
Just last season the club nearly dropped out of the Bundesliga, and only managed to stay up thanks to a draw against Frankfurt near the end of the campaign. But it’s easy to forget that not too long ago, the club won the league and cup double in 2004, as well as reached the UEFA Cup final in 2009. Werder was also once home to stars the calibre of Mesut Ozil and Miroslav Klose.
Since manager Thomas Schaaf’s departure this past May, it’s been hard to speak of a definitive improvement. Inconsistency is still the norm and the team’s performances reflect that. While a 4-4 thriller against Hoffenheim earlier in the season illustrated Werder’s resilience by coming from behind twice to salvage a point, other matches showed less promise. The team couldn’t deal with Wolfsburg’s pressing and had trouble finding their footing, playing way too many long balls and ending up losing 3-0. A disappointing exit in the DFB Pokal to third division Saarbruecken also added to their recent poor form in the competition.
But Dutt has brought a sense of promise and renewal to the club. Despite the poor start, he’s confident Werder will be in the Bundesliga next season.
“I’m convinced that we are on a good path. In the second half of the season Werder’s profile will be sharper," he said.
It’s the right mentality for a team that’s hovering just above the relegation zone and has trouble winning more than two games in a row. An inconsistent Sebastian Mielitz has also recently lost his starting spot to Raphael Wolf. A few goalkeeping blunders against Mainz 05 forced Dutt to reconsider using Wolf until the winter break. He admitted it was to protect the player, but didn’t reveal the exact reasons. On a positive note, the switch hasn’t dampened Mielitz spirits, who is confident he’ll start again in January.
On the financial side, the club has been losing money and it’s one of the reasons why the club’s sporting director wants to take a more organic approach and develop talent at home. This approach is likely behind the reported collaboration between Juventus and Werder that would see prospects from the Italian champions gain experience in the Bundesliga. Certainly the deal would make sense for Werder, whose days of earning regular Champions or Europa League money are over. Finding innovative ways to strengthen the team without splashing large sums of cash is an ideal fit.
How long Dutt will survive at Werder depends, but the club’s history shows an inclination for stability, especially in recent times with Otto Rehhagel, better known for leading Greece to the 2004 European Championship, and Schaaf, two of the club’s longest serving coaches.
But if there’s one situation Dutt wants to avoid, it’s a repeat of what happened the season before when the club was nearly relegated.
"In April we no longer want to shiver (with fear) like we did last season," he said.
Alima Hotakie is a Toronto-based writer. Follow her on Twitter.