Upbeat Against Unpredictable Athens

First Team
Monday, 26.09.2005 / 19:01

Trainer Thomas Schaaf has always emphasised that, above everything else, his side must build upon their own strenghts. This attitude could be extremely valuable when the Green-Whites take on Panathinaikos Athens on Tuesday, 27.09.2005 at 8:45pm in their second Champions League tie of the current tournament.

Trainer Thomas Schaaf has always emphasised that, above everything else, his side must build upon their own strenghts. This attitude could be extremely valuable when the Green-Whites take on Panathinaikos Athens on Tuesday, 27.09.2005 at 8:45pm in their second Champions League tie of the current tournament.

 

Preparations before facing their opponents have proved quite difficult. The Greeks are one of the most unpredictable of the big-boys in footballing circles. "Panathinaikos are a side still in search of their optimal assembly.. We've watched them often and they have always played with different formations", reported Thomas Schaaf. Constant switching has also had an effect on the league but after three games without a win, they beat local rivals Panionios Athens in their derby game at the weekend clearly by three goals to nil.

 

First win behind closed doors

 

Unpredictability is also an issue on the terraces with the Athens faithful experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions: "Athens have to prove themselves to their own crowd", explained Schaaf who is aware that the atmosphere amongst the local fans is not just an advantage for the homeside. "Sure the fans can create an atmosphere that strengtens their team, they can equally put their side under pressure. The atmosphere can swing on the strenght of every misplaced pass." Schaafs theory was mirrored by the situation surrounding last weekends win, when they played behind closed doors following unrest during their match against Olympiakos Piräus. "Our scout watched the game with just 150 other people in the stadium, it was terrible", commented Schaaf.

 

The reputation of trainer Alberto Malesani suits the image of the team perfectly: "He was my coach during my time at AC Parma - a good bloke but a little crazy", according to Johan Micoud. "Six months after I joined Parma, he had to go."

 

Despite preparations, Thomas Schaaf considers himself equiped for the task ahead. In his opinion: "We must be ready for everything, Athens have players who can cause problems going forward and have a very good counter attacker in Olisadebe. We have to expect to come under a lot of pressure but can't allow them to get to much space."

 

Baumann comeback

 

Werder can beat their opponent with their own abilities and Thomas Schaaf is playing his cards close to his chest as to how Bremen will line out on Tuesday. "We have a team which offers us a number of options. Up front Ivan Klasnic and Miroslav Klose have a very good quota but Aaron Hunt and Nelson Valdez have also played very strongly of late", said Schaaf. Changes could also ring in the midfield, where the return of captain Frank Baumann is not out of the question.

 

Thomas Schaaf is still undecided as to who will take up the leftb fullback position: "We've seen an interesting duel there in the last few weeks", is the feeling of the Werder coach. The question is now whether Christian Schulz or Jelle van Damme gets the nod.

 

Johnnie Muldoon

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