Werder Bremen: Horst Steffen needs to change

It was a nightmare derby day for SV Werder Bremen on Saturday afternoon, as they travelled to bitter rivals Hamburg and ultimately lost a classic 3-2. Now, while I could write about the horror-show from the referee that effectively gifted the home side all three points, that’s not going to help anyone in the future. He cost them, and there’s nothing you can do about that now. You have to move on, or maybe lodge an official complaint with the DFB over some very dubious decisions.

While it was a tough afternoon, Werder still could have gotten something from the contest. The problem is they were not set up to succeed by manager Horst Steffen.

Stubbornness

For the third straight game, Steffen named an unchanged starting lineup.

That’s not too rare. They say to never change a winning team, and building consistency is key in terms of making a genuine push up the table. So, how did the Green-Whites fare in their recent contests? They had lost to RB Leipzig, and then drew at home to FC Köln.

It’s not like the performances were that much better than the results. Bremen still look like a team that has to gel, and their inability in the final third really hurts them. They just can’t make the most important pass in their build-up, and a lack of technical ability lets them down.

Putting blame on particular players is unfair at times, but some of Werder’s attackers simply aren’t stepping up. Keke Topp is not a Bundesliga starting-caliber striker at the moment. He’s still young, only 21-years-old, and his development could be key in the future. However, in the present, he does not offer enough to create goals for himself or for others.

Out wide, the two wingers are not making an impact either. Marco Grüll had a good run earlier in the campaign, but he’s gone quiet since scoring in consecutive games in late-October. He’s one-dimensional. The Austrian is very direct, trying to use his speed to run at goal, but once he has to do anything different he struggles.

Cameron Puertas has the opposite problem. He doesn’t want to push the pace of play or take on his defender. His concern is with keeping possession, but it doesn’t usually lead to much. He was brought in to be a gamechanger. That’s not happened.

There are other options who deserve a chance. Justin Njinmah fortunately got an opportunity in the 70th minute, and he made the most of it by grabbing a well-taken goal. While Samuel Mbangula has had a few injury issues, there’s little reason to believe the 10-million Euro man couldn't play for more than five minutes. Even youngster Patrice Čović or the experienced Leonardo Bittencourt could’ve done something.

The story is similar at the back. For the last few weeks Steffen has shoehorned captain and centerback Marco Friedl in at left-back. The partnership of Amos Pieper and Karim Coulibaly were playing so well together, and you couldn’t drop either of them. Then again, you can’t bench your club captain either.

Instead of making a tough decision and dropping one of the three to bring in a proper left-back, the manager tried to keep everyone happy. That’s led to an imbalanced backline. Friedl doesn’t add anything going forward, and whenever he pushes forward he struggles to get back. In transition, when others have to cover, things get messy.

Steffen needs to fix this. He has proper left-backs in the squad again, like Olivier Deman and Isaac Schmidt. They can do a job, and they’re likely itching for a chance in the team. One of the three centerbacks will be upset with taking a seat on the bench, but it would be the best thing for the team.

As a newer manager, it's not a good look for the German to already seem stubborn. The best coaches are able to adapt, but at the moment it looks like he's refusing to stray away from what he thinks is best, even though he knows it's not working. Fans and the front office alike won't stand for that for too long.

Two more checkpoints

Time is running out to change things when it comes to the short-term vibes around the club.

Bremen have two games remaining before the winter break. Neither will be easy, as they host Stuttgart before going on the road to take on Augsburg. While there’s lots of season left to go, this stretch will still be very important.

The Green-Whites are in a strange spot at the moment. They’re technically tied for 8th place in the Bundesliga when you look at the points tab, but they currently sit in 11th due to their poor goal differential. 8th place might get European football, but they’re five points behind a more-certain 7th.

However, the club might need to keep an eye on things on the other end of the standings. They're fairly safe from the bottom three, with five points separating them from the relegation-playoff. However, there’s a bunch of teams quite close to them, who could all make the jump depending on a few results.

Failing to win either of the next two would send Bremen right into the depths of the Bundesliga table. It’s not fair to paint them as actual relegation candidates, of course, but they’d be playing a risky game.

The more pressing issue would be the morale of supporters. They were frustrated enough in recent years just to miss out on European qualification. Ending up near the bottom would really anger the fanbase, who have grown sick and tired of having to wait for a process to come together. This would be especially true if they see the same struggling system and line up rolled out once again.

The good news is that Steffen also has the chance to do the opposite. Stuttgart and Augsburg are both beatable teams, and Werder can absolutely get two wins in a row if they reach a level they have before. Play the right passes at the right time, actually complete them, and stay smart defensively.

A good way to increase the odds of that happening is to make some needed changes to the teamsheet.