3rd matchday: 1.FSV Mainz 05 – SV Werder Bremen – Werder Bremen – Forum | Page 1

Desired line-up: Werder Bremen Moin Moin,
Travel to Mainz. The opponent was pretty good for us last season, but I can remember some bad defeats (0:5 at home in December 2019). Currently we both have two draws each. I want at least one draw, because next week Bayern are coming to us and I don’t think we’ll get a point there. And the week after that we’ll be playing against the surprise package Hoffenheim. So if we lose against Mainz, September could be pointless, and we’d have more discussions about key players, coaches and management… I don’t need that. So I’d rather take at least one point from Mainz.
Since Veljkovic is injured, Jung starts as left IV. Friedl and Stark remain in the starting eleven. Both played really well. Since Stark had a weak game on the first match day, I’m keeping an eye on him. If he shows signs of stabilization and builds on the last game, he will get further credit. Otherwise, we still have Pieper in reserve. Weiser makes the game on the right wing, he is our locomotive down the flank. I’m continuing to let Agu play on the left, as I think he has improved this season. That should be rewarded with trust. Nevertheless, Derrick Köhn is welcome to play 25 minutes +/- to get used to the Bundesliga. Lynen can also continue to play at number six. I’m really pleased with his development last season and that we now have a number six who is suitable for the Bundesliga. He is not the best number six in the league, not the worst, but simply average. And that’s a huge improvement for us. I’d also like to see Leo as an offensive-minded number six/disguised number eight. He’s an important guy for the team, he’s a loudspeaker, he’s a fighter. And on his good days he plays great passes and can vary the speed of the game… I hope he has a good day.
Up front, I’m putting Schmid, Ducksch, and Njinmah in a variable triangle. It doesn’t really matter where I put them; during the game, they switch around a lot and move to the wings. I would have liked to put Keke in the team, but I don’t know if he’s fit enough after his injury from the international trip. My gut feeling tells me that against Mainz, a classic center forward who can hold onto the ball and maybe just bounce it back would be more useful than the sheer speed and dribbling skills of Schmid and Njinmah. In addition, Keke is a more compatible player type with Ducksch; I remember last season, when Ducksch and Njinmah both had issues with each other’s actions. Maybe the two of them need to give each other a piece of their minds and threaten to slap each other in order for things to work out well for them. Maybe they’ve finally done that, and can now work together well on the field. Ducksch is a kind of playmaker in disguise and I think it is always good for him not to be at the front but to have another player in front of him. And when Duckschi has another crazy idea that somehow leads to a goal, then we all love him again
Who else should get enough playing time besides Derrick? The same players that I have already asked for: Skelly, Isak, Grüll and Keke. Give them between 15 and 30 minutes of playing time. The boys can only get better that way and the appreciation will sooner or later be repaid with performance.