In what was quite a poor game, Werder Bremen came away with a point in a 1-1 stalemate. The shared points saw Bremen and Hoffenheim finish gameweek 5 in 6th and 8th respectively in the table, a start that both teams will be happy with. However, Hoffenheim will be disappointed not to of taken all three points here as they had the best chances and Werder scored their only shot inside the box. Bremen set up in a 3-4-2-1 with a narrow front three. They struggled to get keep the ball in the final third and create any chances and also weren’t effective enough on the counter or set pieces.
Ratings
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be strong player at level
- C – Average for the level, rewatch
- D – Below average in this match
Maximillian Eggestein
Player Profile:
- Nationality: German
- Age: 23
- Date of birth: 08/12/1996
- Current Club: Werder Bremen
- Career: Werder Bremen
- Position: Centre Midfield
- Preferred foot: Right
Eggestein played in the midfield two and had a fairly good game, scoring the goal which secured his team a point. The goal came from a late run into the box from midfield and struck it first time from just inside the area with decent power. He wanted to make these sort of forward runs and was a good box-to-box player who could operate in every third and support the attack. His passing was largely quite short but he was then on the move, wanting to make support runs and runs through the half spaces.
He had the freedom to roam in midfield a lot to find spaces and open passing lanes in the buildup to try and get on the ball. He checked his shoulders well and received on the back foot, able to turn into space, opening up to play forwards or spread play. He drew several fouls in midfield as well. He’s listed at 5’11, although I thought he looked taller, and showed decent strength on the ball when carrying into space to hold off defenders and protect the ball. His passing wasn’t that expansive or progressive and maybe could have tried getting the ball into the front three more and then making runs off of them, but at times there was quite a disconnect between the midfield and front three. His one longer pass was poor, a ball over the top which was overhit and inaccurate which could have created a big chance if done right.
He could have done more defensively, he didn’t do anything wrong and was well positioned and pressed well a few times. However, he could have imposed himself more and got a bit more stuck in. The intensity to his game dropped a bit off the ball and could have worked harder.
Rating – B1
Jean Manuel Mbom
Player Profile:
- Nationality: German
- Age: 20
- Date of birth: 24/02/2000
- Current Club: Werder Bremen
- Career: Werder Bremen, KFC Uerdingen (L)
- Position: Centre Midfield
- Preferred foot: Right
Mbom was playing very out of position in this game as a left wing back, so it feels harsh to judge him too much on this game. However, while saying that he did have a decent game. In defensive 1v1s, he was calm and patient but a little passive and could have done more to rush the defender and get tighter. His body positioning was mostly good but did get very planted feet one time. He also worked hard to track his runner and put in a well timed covering challenge on the wing.
Going forward, he didn’t get that many touches and his pass completion was poor. He was comfortable on the ball, receiving it well but being right footed on the left hindered him at times. When static he could pass fairly comfortably with either foot but when going forward and at speed struggled to use his left which limited him and forced decisions and awkward passes with the outside of his right foot. He didn’t get the chance to attack much and only joined counters a handful of times where he carried into space well with decent control at speed and fairly average pace over medium distances but good agility.
Rating – B2
Marco Friedl
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Austrian
- Age: 22
- Date of birth: 16/03/1998
- Current Club: Werder Bremen
- Career: Bayern Munich, Werder Bremen
- Position: Left Back
- Preferred foot: Left
The Austrian played as the left sided centre back in this game and had a poor game. He lacked elegance on the ball and his first touch killed the ball well but kept it tight to his body, forcing him to take an extra touch to play and having quite poor technique by playing these slapped passes at awkward angles while the ball was underneath him. He wasn’t great under pressure and his backwards passes weren’t the most convincing.
His forward passing was better, he could make short passes with both feet and put the ball into midfield fairly well. He also hit two good long passes in quick succession and maybe should have utilised this more throughout the game. The first was a diagonal putting the right winger 1v1 in the corner of the pitch. The second was a fairly good switch of play to the right wing back in space.
He lacked athleticism in defence with his pace letting him down. He was a bit too passive on several occasions I thought he should have done more/better to block Hoffenheim’s shots but was lazy in this regard. He was slow to react to danger and lacked aggression in the challenge. He picked up a late yellow for a lazy challenge where he made no real attempt for the ball, lacking the strength or speed to compete so just giving away a foul.
Rating – D
Josh Sargent
Player Profile:
- Nationality: American
- Age: 20
- Date of birth: 20/02/2000
- Current Club: Werder Bremen
- Career: Werder Bremen
- Position: Striker
- Preferred foot: Right
Sargent played as the right inside forward in this game in the front three, often drifting to the right side or dropping between the lines. He had a quite game where he received the ball between the lines quite a lot but couldn’t do much with it and failed to take a shot. He received the ball fairly well most of the time with his back to goal and was able to turn a few times.
His layoffs were mixed in accuracy and he was slow with his decisions quite often and was very one footed which limited his options. He wasn’t physical enough or good enough in the air to really holdup the ball and therefore struggled. He did create one very good chance though with a good off-balance throughball but they hit the post.
Rating – C