Chapter 18 Training begins

On July 3, the team’s training day arrived.

First-team players are arriving at the club one after another because the team has undergone a major overhaul in the off-season.

So the old players returning to the first team saw a host of new faces.

In this regard, most of them were very calm and their attitude was lukewarm. They couldn't say they liked the new players, nor could they say they disliked them. It was more like an attitude of not wanting to deal with them.

However, the team's veteran captain, 31-year-old Clemens Fritz, welcomed the young players.

"Welcome to Werder Bremen, this is a great club and I believe you will fall in love with it!"

Except for a few young players who were promoted from the youth team who were very excited, the other players who transferred during the offseason responded relatively coldly and only applauded perfunctorily.

Seeing this situation, Lin Quan bumped into De Bruyne who was dazed beside him with his arm and said to him:

"Come on, let's go say hello to the captain."

De Bruyne is unfamiliar with the team and only knows Lin Quan.

Being introverted by nature, he would stay in the corner and listen to music quietly on such occasions.

But after hearing Lin Quan's words, he immediately put down his Walkman and followed Lin Quan obediently towards Fritz.

"Hello, captain, I am Lin Quan, and this is De Bruyne. We are newcomers who have just joined the team. Captain, please take care of us!"

"Haha, hello, I heard the coach mention you. He praised your two talents. Perform well in the new season. The team needs fresh blood like you!"

Fritz also likes such polite and sensible young people, especially compared with another player on loan from Bayern Munich, Lin Quan and De Bruyne's impression in his mind instantly improved a lot.

They are all loaned players from proud families. The players from Barcelona and Chelsea are so polite and respect the big brother of the team.

Is this how noble you are of Bayern?

So after greeting Lin Quan and De Bruyne, he also took them to greet other veteran players of the team, introduced them to the veterans of these teams, and helped them integrate into the team as soon as possible.

In addition, he also cared about the lives of Lin Quan and De Bruyne in Germany. Neither of them are native Germans, and they may not adapt to a strange place when they first arrived.

Therefore, he said that if you have any trouble, you can go to him for help. He has lived in Bremen for six or seven years and has certain connections in the local area.

After some contact, Lin Quan had a certain understanding of the character and conduct of the team captain.

Sure enough, as William said, Fritz is a good old man who is easy to talk to.

It just seems that his temper is a bit too good, and he lacks the feeling of an iron-blooded leader.

I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing.

The players chatted and exchanged various interesting stories and experiences during the holidays.

After a while, the head coach brought the members of the coaching staff to the training ground and announced today's training plan.

Because the offseason has just ended, most players have just recovered from their vacation.

So the training intensity on the first day was not high, it was mainly recovery training.

Looking at the players on the training field, Thomas Schaff was thinking about the team's formation and play style choices for the new season.

Bremen is a team that advocates offense, and their offensive firepower is also among the best in the Bundesliga.

In the 2005-2006 season, Werder Bremen ranked first in both goals and goal difference in the Bundesliga.

That season they scored a total of 79 goals, averaging 2.3 goals per game, with a goal difference of 42 goals.

This data is 12 goals and 7 goals respectively more than the second-placed Bayern Munich.

Bayern Munich's strength is obvious to all. It can snatch these two firsts from the Bundesliga giants. Werder Bremen's offensive firepower is evident.

However, Bremen has always had a big problem, and that is that this team is not good at defending.

They scored a lot of goals, but also conceded a lot.

During the peak period of the five seasons from 04-09, Bremen could use more goals to cover up the problem of poor defense and conceding too many goals.

However, starting from the 2009-10 season, Werder Bremen's overall strength began to decline. The team's offensive firepower began to decline, but the number of goals conceded did not decrease.

As a result, Werder Bremen's record began to plummet, gradually falling into the relegation zone, and this season it even became a favorite for relegation.

A very real question faces head coach Thomas Schaff:

In the new season, will Werder Bremen still play the same offensive football as before?

Offensive football wins fans, defensive counterattacks win games.

Defensive counterattack seems to be a safer choice, but the problem is that Thomas Schaff is not a coach who is good at defense.

He spent most of his time studying offensive tactics and formations, and was not good at defense, especially efficient defensive counterattacks.

It is impossible to expect him to reach the defensive counterattack master level of Mourinho.

Therefore, he did not dare to make drastic changes to Werder Bremen's previous tactics.

If such a change is really made, it may not only fail to achieve the expected effect, but will also make the players overwhelmed and ultimately have the opposite effect.

Therefore, the safest way is actually to make adjustments to the previous tactics and make some changes to the details of the team's offense and defense without moving the general framework.

According to the current characteristics of the team, especially the large number of young players, good physical strength and drive.

Thomas Schaff made slight adjustments to the 433 formation that Werder Bremen had been using before, and evolved it into a 4141 formation.

The 433 formation is a typical offensive formation, and the evolved 4141 not only has the offensive advantages of 433, but also makes up for the defense.

The characteristic of this formation is that the winger position is withdrawn and placed in the position of the full midfielder.

When defending, they participate in the defense of the midfield, forming a powerful interception line of five people in the midfield to stifle the enemy's attack.

When attacking, use the wingers who are retreating to come in from behind and attack from both wings.

At this time, the wide midfielder who retreated returned to the role of winger and formed a series with the forwards. The formation returned to the 433 formation, with three forwards in the frontcourt, and the offensive options were more abundant.

This formation is not without its disadvantages, because the absence of two wingers has resulted in a sharp reduction in the number of people in the frontcourt, and the team cannot carry out high-intensity pressing and interception in the opponent's half.

The arrangement of a single defensive midfielder will make the sides of the team's midfielder and backfield slightly empty, making it easier for opponents to find gaps.

In addition, because the formation has become 4141, there are four lines in total. The distance control between each line is a very critical issue. If the distance is not controlled properly, it is easy for defensive gaps to appear.

In this formation, the three most critical positions are: the midfielder and the two full midfielders.

The defensive midfielder is a free man in the midfield. He is the gate of the team's defense. Once he is broken through, the team's defense will directly face the threat of the enemy.

While the two full-backs assume certain defensive tasks, they are also the magic weapon for the team to open up the situation and complete the offense.

Compared with the tool center who only serves as the fulcrum of the frontcourt, the full forwards on both sides have heavier offensive tasks.

If they can't open up the situation, the team will fall into the predicament of being beaten passively.

Fortunately, this is not the only option in Schaaf's toolbox. If the 4141 tactic fails, he can let the team continue to play 433 or 442.

Asking for recommendations and monthly passes