DFB-Pokal, 2014/15, 1. Runde FV Illertissen vs Werder Bremen Werder's line up: Wolf - Fritz , Lukimya , Caldirola , Garcia - Galvez - Bartels , Makiadi - Junuzovic - Hajrovic , Elia
Several good chances near the end of the half, Werder had around half a dozen shots there. But Illertissen parking too many defenders in the box to block. I want to see Petersen or Selke on to strengthen the attack.
Finally with Selke a real forward. But we are again in extra-time. Edit: Toooooooooor And Illertissen nearly made the 2-2, these are mental problems. The player shit in their pants because of the 3 last cup exits.
Selke and Marnon Busch play strong today. Dutt, you moron, give them more chances or piss off. Still 3-2 for Werder.
Without Prödl our defense looked today quite shaky at high balls and Illertissens 1-1 resulted from it. I hope Lukimya gets the job going, he looks quite unconcentrated at times. Well, Fritz bashing is a hobby of many Werder fans, but I was once more shocked about his positioning. Dutt should finally realize that we have with Zander and Busch some young back-ups. I found Dutts decision to field Hajrovic and Elia up front weird. Hajrovic provoked the opponent early to foul and converted the penalty well, but besides this scene and his freekicks Elia and him did not suit the position up front. Dutt should field them after or beside a real striker. I can understand that he did not want to bring Selke over a full match and he has currently not much trust in Petersens, who is in chance wasting mode. I hope he can switch out of it. Selke also had not many good chances, but he was there when it counted. Probably the players were nervous because of the past experiences in the cup, but up front and in defense there is some work to do for Dutt and the players.
The team looked unprepared at times and certainly a lot to learn from this match. The opening formation was questionable. Elia remains an enigmatic player. He's done well centrally as a second-striker working with a main target man in the past. But without one, he's not so reliable and his game becomes too restless. Makiadi again does not show anything to contribute. We played better when he was subbed off. Main bright spot was the young guys. Nice seeing Selke score, should be another great boost to him. Busch was one of the best players when he was on the field. Very promising, and convinced he's ready to feature with the starting eleven this season. I really hope these performances help Dutt realize that youth talents is still one of our best assets.
I was interested to see how our shape changed from the first half to the second half in addition to Bartels being subbed out. In the first half, it looked more like a 3-5-2 with Galvez often level with Lukimya and Caldirola. In the midfield triangle, I couldn't really see what kind of a shape it was supposed to be, and both Garcia and Fritz pushed up like wing backs. In the second half, Galvez stepped up a bit and Garcia and Fritz dropped back to form our usual 4-4-2 diamond. There was no clear attack/defense transition for Galvez, unlike Pep's Barcelona which looked like a 4-3-3 in defense and a 3-4-3 in attack with Sergio Busquets dropping into the back line and the side backs pushing up. I'm not sure we'll keep trying this formation, but I follow Dutt's logic at least--Garcia and Fritz are quite good going forward, and Galvez is a natural CB playing a DMF role, so might as well play 3-5-2. The sub of Selke for Bartels probably made more of a difference than the slight change in shape anyways. Hajrovic looks great! Nice transfer!
Fritz can advance forward to provide depth on the attack, but this also leads to his side being exposed on the counter. Defensive position can be erratic and unfocused. Stamina is also going to wane throughout the season at his age. This is why we need Busch/Zander as alternatives getting regular playing time. Last season we had Ignjovski who had great work rate and fight playing as right-back. I've seen promising performances from Busch this preseason that he can step up when needed.
Besides the start of the Bundesliga this weekend the draw for the 2nd round of the cup was drawn. Well play Chemnitzer FC from 3. Liga. We play away at Chemnitz, who eleminated in the first round there already Bundesliga side Mainz 05. I expect a close match.
HT vs Chemnitzer: Werder leading 1-0 thanks to Bartels, great pass from Hajrovic. Nice seeing Aycicek in the starting lineup. Playing well so far, mobile and active presence.
New season begins with a new Pokal journey. It's great that we finally got past the early stage jitters last year but we must strive for more now. Skrippo going with a roster full of fresh youngsters against Würzburg today. Three lads making their starting debut in Uli Garcia, Grillitsch, and Maxi Eggestein. Felix Kroos had to sit this one out short notice with a fever. So Aycicek is called up instead as an option. The newest signing, Johannsson is not quite ready yet for today's game. Starting XI: Wiedwald - Theo, Lukimya, Vestergaard, Uli Garcia - Bargfrede, Junuzovic, Grillitsch, Eggestein - Bartels, Ujah Bench: Zetterer - Sternberg, Galvez, Zander - Öztunali, Hajrovic, Aycicek
These first round match ups are always challenging, no matter what level the opposition plays at. Würzburg's defence was tough to crack and the weather certainly didn't help. The substitutions made at extra time were a difference maker, as Galvez and Sternberg brought positive momentum. Still several items we'll need to sort through before we open the season next week. But Johannsson should be ready to go by then. I think Grillitsch also done well and deserves to stay with the pros.
Felix Kroos will be dropped for the Köln game. Fair coaching decision being made, as Felix really hasn't had much impact. Right now both Grillitsch and Maxi Eggestein are better options and provide more of an attacking punch. Oztunali is also close to returning from injury and should rejoin the rotation.
http://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/t...e-neuer-star-fuer-skripnik-43172658.bild.html Motivation is riding high for this match. For 27 years, Werder are unbeaten at home in the Pokal and hope to keep this run going. We can also cash in another million with this victory, 0.5 M by the DFB and the other half from ticket sales and other revenues. With the recent financial results of the club, everything counts. The increased funds can also go towards more opportunities in the upcoming January transfer window if we choose to be active on the market.