18 Start of Training Camp
On July 3rd, the team's training camp began.
The first team players arrived at the club one after another to report, as the team underwent a major overhaul during the off-season.
Upon their return, the senior players saw a large number of new faces. Most of them remained calm and indifferent, neither showing much fondness for the new players nor evident aversion; rather, they seemed to adopt an attitude of indifference.
However, the team's old captain, 31-year-old Clemens Fritz, welcomed the young players.
"Welcome to Werder Bremen. This is a great club, and I believe you will love it here!"
Apart from a few young players who had been promoted from the youth team and were excited, the reactions of other players who had transferred during the offseason were relatively subdued, applauding only half-heartedly.
Witnessing this situation, Lin nudged the absent-minded De Bruyne and said to him, "Come on, let's go and greet the captain."
De Bruyne was unfamiliar with the team, knowing only Lin.
His introverted nature would usually keep him quietly listening to music in such situations.
However, upon hearing Lin's words, he immediately put down his portable music player and obediently followed Lin as they walked toward Fritz.
"Hello, captain. I'm Lin, and this is De Bruyne. We are new to the team and look forward to your guidance," Lin said.
"Well, I've heard about you from the coach. He's praised both of you for your talent. Do well in the new season; the team needs fresh blood like yours!" Fritz replied.
Fritz was very fond of these polite and sensible young people, especially when compared to another player who had been loaned from Bayern Munich. In his mind, his impression of Lin and De Bruyne instantly soared.
Both of them were loaned players from prestigious clubs, yet these Barcelona and Chelsea players knew how to be polite and respect the team's senior figures. What's with your arrogant attitude, Bayern?
After greeting Lin and De Bruyne, he also took them to greet the other senior members of the team, introducing them and helping them integrate into the team.
Moreover, he also inquired about Lin and De Bruyne's lives in Germany, knowing that being newcomers from another place could be quite challenging. He expressed that if they needed any help, they could come to him as he had been living in Bremen for six or seven years and had a good network in the area.
After this interaction, Lin gained some understanding of the captain's character and conduct.
As expected, Fritz was just as easy-going as William had described. He was a very cooperative and good-natured older man.
It seemed his temper was a bit too gentle, lacking the feeling of a strong, commanding leader.
It was unclear whether this was a good or a bad thing.
The players chatted, sharing various interesting stories and experiences from their holidays.
After a while, the head coach and the coaching staff members arrived at the training ground and announced the day's training plan.
Since the off-season had just ended, most players had just recovered from their vacation mode.
So, the first day's training was not very intense, and primarily focused on recovery exercises.
Watching the players on the training ground, Thomas Schaaf pondered over the team's tactics and playing style for the new season.
Werder Bremen is an offensive-minded team, and their attacking firepower is also among the top in the Bundesliga.
In the 2005-2006 season, Werder Bremen had achieved the highest number of goals and goal differences in the Bundesliga.
That season, they scored a total of 79 goals, averaging 2.3 goals per game, with a goal difference of 42.
This data was 12 goals and 7 goals more than the second-placed Bayern Munich.
Bayern Munich's strength is apparent, to snatch these two first places from the Bundesliga giants, Werder Bremen's attacking firepower can be seen.
However, Werder Bremen has always had a major problem, that this team isn't good at defending. They score many goals, but they also concede many.
During the peak period from 2004 to 2009, Werder Bremen could mask the issue of conceding too many goals with their prolific scoring.
However, starting from the 2009-2010 season, the overall strength of Werder Bremen began to decline, the team's attacking prowess started to decrease, while the number of goals conceded did not reduce.
As a result, Werder Bremen's performance started to plummet and gradually plunged into the relegation zone. This season, they were even seen as one of the top candidates for relegation.
A very real problem stood before head coach Thomas Schaaf:
Should Werder Bremen continue to play the attacking football they used to play in the previous season?
Attacking football wins fans, while defensive counter-attacks win games.
Defensive counter-attacks seem like a safer choice, but the issue is that Thomas Schaaf isn't a great defensive coach.
He mostly focuses on studying attacking tactics and formations and isn't particularly skilled in defense, especially effective defensive counter-attacks.
Expecting him to reach the level of a defensive master like Mourinho is impossible.
Hence, he is cautious about making drastic changes to Werder Bremen's previous tactics.
If such changes were made, it might not have the desired effect and could potentially confuse the players, leading to the opposite result.
Therefore, the safest approach is to make adjustments to the existing tactics without altering the overall framework, focusing on refining the details of the team's attacking and defensive strategies.
Considering the team's current characteristics, especially the abundance of young players with good fitness and determination, Thomas Schaaf decided to tweak Werder Bremen's traditional 4-3-3 formation into a 4-1-4-1 formation.
The 4-3-3 formation is a typical attacking formation, while the evolved 4-1-4-1 combines the attacking strengths of the 4-3-3 while also addressing some defensive weaknesses.
In this formation, the wide forwards drop back to the positions of wide midfielders.
During defense, they partake in midfield defense, forming a strong five-man interception line in the middle to thwart opponent attacks.
In attacks, the withdrawn wide forwards join from behind, initiating attacks from the flanks.
During this time, the withdrawn wide midfielders revert to their role as forwards, creating a connection, returning the formation to a 4-3-3 with three forwards upfront, allowing for a more varied attacking strategy.
This formation also comes with disadvantages. With the absence of two wide forwards, there is a sudden reduction in the number of players in the front, making it challenging for the team to apply high-intensity pressure and interceptions in the opponent's half.
The deployment of a lone defensive midfielder leaves the flanks on both sides of the midfield and backfield somewhat vulnerable, prone to being exploited by the opponents.
Furthermore, given the shift to a 4-1-4-1 formation, with four lines in total, controlling the distance between each line becomes a critical issue. If the distance is not managed correctly, defensive gaps can easily occur.
In this formation, the three key positions are the defensive midfielder and the two wide midfielders.
The defensive midfielder acts as the free man in the midfield, serving as the team's last line of defense. If breached, the team's defense will face a direct threat from the opponents.
The two wide midfielders, while undertaking some defensive responsibilities, are also instrumental in creating openings and completing attacks.
Compared to the center forward who serves as a focal point in the front, the attacking task of the wide midfielders flanking the field is more demanding.
If they fail to create opportunities, the team may find themselves at a disadvantage.
Luckily, Schaaf has a variety of strategies in his toolbox. If the 4-1-4-1 tactic doesn't work, he can opt for the team to continue playing in a 4-3-3 or a 4-4-2 formation.
