2007 In Review : The Bitter Moments

First Team
Saturday, 29.12.2007 / 16:30

For all of the highs and spectacular moments in Werder Bremen’s 2007, there have also been some less positive points. Here we take a look at the unhappier sporting and personal side of the last twelve months for the Green-Whites.

For all of the highs and spectacular moments in Werder Bremen’s 2007, there have also been some less positive points. Here we take a look at the unhappier sporting and personal side of the last twelve months for the Green-Whites.

 

A dramatic press release

 

It was clear that something was amiss as Ivan Klasnic pulled out of the clubs trainings camp in Belek a fortnight before the trip was due to take place. The Croatian international admitted that some further examinations would be necessary following an appendix operation in 2005. Those in charge at the club knew the extent of the problem and began an immediate search for a replacement. On January 23rd, at a press conference, the news of kidney difficulties was announced: “Regrettably, it has become clear that a kidney transplant will be necessary”, wrote lawyer Dr. K-Peter Horndasch. A very prominent member of the Werder family was about to undergo a life threateningly dangerous operation and the shock waves chilled right the way across Bremen.

 

Club and fans now pulled even closer together in support of the ‘Killer’ and straight after the friendly tie in Magdeburg on the same night, team manager Klaus Allofs offered Klasnic an extension to the contract which was due to expire in summer. All year long chants of ‘Ivan Klasnic’ were to be heard by the fans who refused to forget their hero. The player had a long road in front of him and that was not helped by the fact that the first transplant proved unsuccessful and a second would be unavoidable. The Hamburg born striker had many months of rehabilitation and a slowly progressing trainings plan to work through – from the originally prophesised six to eight weeks would become a harrowing nine month struggle. Finally on October 30th, Ivan Klasnic made his full professional comeback in the DFB Cup against former club FC St. Pauli.

 

Irrelevant match – shattering loss

 

The home game against FC Nuremberg at the beginning of April was hardly very relevant – it was a decent game of football and Markus Rosenberg’s goal made the difference as the Green-Whites won 1:0. Just before the end though – drama. Central defender Per Mertesacker tore meniscus in his right knee and would not be available to Werder for the vital season run in phase. The young German international had just signed for Bremen at the start of the season but was already a first choice and irreplaceable member of the Werder team. Klaus Allofs described the loss as “Very profound.” The Green-Whites did the business in Dortmund and against Aachen but conceded three against Bielefeld and missed the chance to take top spot – ‘Merte’ was sorely missed.

 

Missed chances and the summit in Frankfurt

 

Eintracht Frankfurt would put the final nail in the coffin of Werder’s title dreams on the 33rd match day of the season as the bitterly absent Mertesacker made his comeback with fifteen minutes to go. There was little to celebrate though as, despite controlling the match, Werder were beaten 1:2. Chances of winning the title were slim at best, going into the game with a two point deficit to the league leaders but hopes were kept alive considering their lead at the winter break, a stunning goal difference – including hitting six on their travels on three occasions -, as well as the fact that the opposition had anything but proven stable. It wasn’t only the Frankfurt game which would prove so bitter though. In previous weeks, the Green-Whites had failed to take advantage of slip-ups by Stuttgart and Schalke and take the position they had deserved on a footballing level. Defeats to Schalke, Stuttgart and HSV were to cause so many headaches!!! Following their 2:0 defeat by HSV on match day 22, Thomas Schaaf’s men were seven points adrift – almost impossible ground to make up. All the more reason to be disappointed by the missed chances to restore their grasp on first place. On match day 27, Werder fans were left fuming at the 0:0 draw against Cottbus whilst Schalke went down in Munich. Even more frustrating was then match day 31 when Schalke suffered an amazing 2:1 defeat against Bochum but the next day the Green-Whites went down 3:2 to Armenia Bielefeld – a result which would cost the Bremen club second place and leave them to have to settle for third spot in the end.

 

Paderborn fiasco

 

On the left side of the pitch, Torsten Frings took on a throw in with his chest, played to Pierre Wome, made a quick turn went past an opponent and collected the ball again. The midfield man went a couple of steps before kicking the ball out of play and sinking to the ground just behind the side-line grasping his right knee. It was the sixth pre-season friendly for Werder during a preparation period plagued by new injury problems at an almost daily rate. With their midfield motor out of action, the Green-Whites lost to second division Paderborn (2:1) despite having taken the lead. The alarm bells began ringing in Bremen as the season start drew ever closer and the problems continued to mount. After the Paderborn game, trainer Schaaf commented: “We were physically not in good form. We were totally harmless, naive going into challenges and just not quick enough in thinking. Aside from a brief recovery, Frings was absent for almost the complete first half of the 2007/2008 season. The injury problems caused Werder quite a setback but Schaaf’s men were resilient and battled back strongly. Very strongly!!

 

’Mosqui’s’ misery

 

2007 didn’t exactly begin very positively for John Jairo Mosquera. As he celebrated his first Bundesliga goal in November there was no trace of the difficulties the young striker had been through earlier in the year. Werder had allowed him to go on loan to Wacker Burghausen but he only managed eight appearances as he didn’t fit into the system. The young striker went on trial to Carl-Zeiss-Jena where a pre-season run in the woods would prove defining. The youngster lost consciousness after a circulatory collapse although reports of heart failure instantly did the rounds, the situation wasn’t quite so dramatic.

Back in Bremen ‘Mosqui’ continued working away and almost unnoticed made an impression on the first team. It had been a difficult year for the 19 year old but one with a happy end.

 

Two competitions – one traumatic result

 

There is not much more needs to be said – the results speak for themselves. One result in particular. 0:3 – this was the result which cost Werder both a UEFA Cup final place and a place in the last 16 of the Champions League this year. Games in Barcelona against Espanyol in April and in Piraeus against Olypiacos in December ended in misery for the Green-Whites and their fans. 2008 will see Werder Bremen get the chance to make good on last years UEFA Cup exit.

 

John Muldoon

 

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