and they took it right away from the champs in their own house - what a geat season for werder - its a shame they lost to pasching, would have been nice to see this particular team against europes best
Werder were the best team in the Bundesliga this season, by a country mile. They deserved the championship. Werder played some of the best football in Europe. Every member of that squad was excellent. I can't congratulate them enough. And this last game against Bayern was symbolic of the way both squads played all season. Bayern were disjointed, with stars like Ballack and Ze Roberto looking lost much of the time. Werder looked scintilating the whole match, with each member at the top of their games, showing skill, hustle, speed, imagination, guile, and determination. Werder really gave Bayern a lesson in what good football looks like. I expect continued success for Werder next season, although it will be harder for them because they will be in the CL. Plus, they've lost Ailton and Kristajic to Schalke. But they picked up able replacements in Klose and Farenhorst. I expect that Bayern is going to get a big overhaul during the off season. Even Hitzfeld could be gone. And a lot of the under-performing stars might be gone. Once again - congratulations to Werder Bremen. You guys deserved it!
One of the things that have made this European football season one to cherish so much has been the remarkable symmetry in fortunes for some of the continent's leading lights. Quite a few of the game's tactical geniuses--the names of Ottmar Hitzfeld, Sir Alex Ferguson, and Marcello Lippi spring to mind-- have been upstaged by up-and-coming managerial talents. Perennial winners like Bayern Munich, Manchester United, and Juventus are now facing an uncertain future, as they contain within their ranks a number of players who may have reached the end of the road. Predictably, fans of these superpowers are already compiling wishlists of the big-name players they would like to see fighting for their causes next year. I watched a good number of Werder Bremen's Bundesliga matches this season, and concur that they are worthy champions. Bayern Munich look a pale shadow of the side that won three succesive German titles betwen 1999 and 2001, perhaps suffering from the embarrassment of riches at their disposal. Werder's triumph at the Olympiastadion brought back fond memories of that of Arsenal at Old Trafford in May 2002. On the occasion, the Gunners secured their 13th English League title by also beating the reigning champions on their home turf. I certainly hope that Werder remain competitive next term and prove that this year's success did not just temporarily interrupt Bayern's dominance of German football. They should also bring a lot of excitement to next year's Champions League.