Season review part five: "Should I be laying into them now?"

Despite finishing tenth, Werder remained in the running for Europe until the end (photo: nph)
First Team
Friday, 12.06.2015 / 16:29

Flying high isn't all it's cracked up to be. Suddenly you're faced with the danger of having to deliver on now increased expectations. Fortunately, when you've got the...

Flying high isn't all it's cracked up to be. Suddenly you're faced with the danger of having to deliver on now increased expectations. Fortunately, when you've got the down-to-earth Viktor Skripnik on your side, it isn't such a problem keeping everyone grounded. "We were six feet under for a good two, three months. Everyone had already condemned us to the second division. But then we were suddenly in the running for a Europa League spot. Should I be laying into my boys now? I'm so glad that we're not in the thick of it anymore at the bottom of the table; it's an absolute frenzy down there." This is what the Ukrainian boasted after a 1-1 draw in Hamburg during week 32, when the Green-Whites missed their chance to climb up to seventh place in the Bundesliga.

Nevertheless, the Bremen players paid the price in parts during the final spurt, simply because of the physical and mental exertions that the team had needed at the bottom end of the table from autumn to April. But that is what made it all the more remarkable in their scramble for a European position, when they tapped into unknown reserves of energy. Only a defeat against a rejuvenated Borussia Dortmund side caused a slight slip in the team's final league position. "Tenth place today feels like taking fourth at the Olympics," admitted chief executive Thomas Eichin just after the end of the game. "But this small disappointment will vanish in the next few days, and then we can happily look back on this season."

500th league win at home in 102nd North derby against HSV

A steady debut season for Jannik Vestergaard, seen here in the east stand after the final home game against Gladbach

The team suffered its first real downer of the year at the beginning of March. After a promising start, Werder encountered less friendly conditions on a boggy pitch at a boisterous Bielefelder Alm, and unexpectedly made a dog's dinner out of their round of 16 tie in the DFB Cup. Werder suffered an unnecessary 3-1 defeat at the hands of third-division leaders Arminia. "We can blame the pitch, the referee, the weather or whatever else," affirmed a deeply disappointed Viktor Skripnik. "We simply didn't turn up. We didn't have the right attitude, the body language, the concentration or the luck. That was not the Werder of recent games." All the more powerful was Raphael Wolf's call for a swift rebuke after the defeat as an act of defiance. Franco di Santo's moment of genius, a bullet shot from the left corner of the box into the corner of the goal, brought the team all three points in Freiburg. "We all played to the limit today, it's the only way," attested goalkeeper Wolf. The team, however, had to wait over a month until its next win.

It was too late in the game against Bayern before the team began to play with any courage, already 4-0 down. A last minute penalty in Cologne denied Werder an almost sure-fire 1-0. After that the Green-Whites shared the spoils with Mainz in a bore draw, before they gifted hosts Stuttgart an injury time point. Werder finally brought an end to this bad spell in the 102nd North derby against Hamburg. There was additional drama to this biannual thriller, when di Santo scored an 84th minute penalty to secure Werder's 500th home win in the Bundesliga. The legendary Pico Schütz, who died only a few days earlier, would have been up there following all the action with a smile. Sandwiched between two draws away at Paderborn and Hannover was Thomas Schaaf's first game in Bremen as the away manager. He was greeted with a standing ovation from a packed Weserstadion, just like the one received by Werder's 1965 championship winning team, who were also present.

Eichin: “I’m very proud of how we’ve overcome everything”

Di Santo’s decisive penalty in the North derby brings the 500th home win

"It's extraordinary to be received so warmly," explained the emotional 54-year-old, "even though I wanted to win with Eintracht here." Davie Selke's decisive goal in the 66th minute made sure that didn't happen, sealing a convincing 1-0 win for the home side. Viktor Skripnik's team already had 43 point with two games remaining - the team's highest total at the same stage for five years. Thomas Eichin's stipulation for the team's two tricky final fixtures was: "the boys should just give everything they've got left in the tank." Unfortunately the team just missed out on seventh place, which would've been the cherry on the season's cake. "This should in no way diminish from the amazing performance that the boys have shown throughout the year," stressed Viktor Stripnik in his final press conference of the season.

Lucien Favre's Gladbach, without doubt the undisputed team of the season's second half, simply proved themselves too well-drilled and clinical for Werder to take the point in their final home game. Dortmund's offensive impetus and panache were also simply too big in the final game, meaning that Werder had to settle for a 3-2 defeat to end the season. "Maybe the Europa League would've come a bit too soon," argued Zlatko Junuzovic thoughtfully. "You have to be careful not to try and run before you can walk. We have made such terrific progress, not even we would've dared to predict it." And despite the fact that the Green-Whites eventually fell out of the single-digit places in the table, places which they had occupied since week 20, Thomas Eichin could look back on the team's accomplishments with great appreciation. "I'm very proud of the team and the club, how we've overcome everything, how we worked our way out of the situation, how we've dealt with the pressure, and how we stayed calm. That gives me unbelievable encouragement for the new season."

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