Chapter 18: Training Camp Begins

On July 3rd, the team's training camp day arrived.

Players from the first team gradually arrived at the club for reporting because the team had undergone a significant overhaul during the offseason.

So, the returning veteran players saw a large influx of new faces.

Most of them remained quite calm about it, neither particularly welcoming nor cold towards the new players. It was more like they didn't want to bother with them.

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

"Welcome to Werder Bremen, this is a fantastic club, and I believe you'll love it here!"

Except for a few young players who were excited to be promoted from the youth team, the reactions of other players who transferred during the offseason were relatively indifferent. They simply clapped half-heartedly.

Seeing this, Lin Quan nudged the absent-minded De Bruyne with his elbow and said, "Come on, let's go greet the captain."

De Bruyne was unfamiliar with the team and only knew Lin Quan.

Normally reserved, he would have stayed quietly in a corner listening to music in such situations.

But upon hearing Lin Quan's words, he immediately put down his headphones and obediently followed Lin Quan, walking towards Fritz.

"Hello, Captain. I'm Lin Quan, and this is De Bruyne. We're new to the team, so please take care of us!"

"Hehe, hello, I've heard the coach mention you two. He praised your talent, so perform well this season. The team needs fresh blood like you!"

Fritz also liked these polite and sensible young people. Especially compared to another player who came on loan from Bayern Munich, Lin Quan and De Bruyne's impression in his mind instantly rose significantly.

Both were loan players from prestigious clubs. Look at players from Barcelona and Chelsea, they're polite and respectful to the team's seniors.

You, from Bayern, are quite haughty, aren't you?

So, after greeting Lin Quan and De Bruyne, he also took them to greet the team's other senior players, introducing them to these club elders to help them integrate quickly.

Additionally, he also showed concern for Lin Quan and De Bruyne's life in Germany. Neither of them were locals, and it's possible to feel uncomfortable in a new place.

Therefore, he said if they had any trouble, they could come to him for help. He had lived in Bremen for six or seven years and had some connections in the area.

After this interaction, Lin Quan gained some understanding of the captain's character and conduct.

Indeed, as William said, Fritz was a very approachable and kind person.

However, it seemed like he was a bit too lenient, lacking the feeling of a strong leader.

It's hard to say whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.

The players chatted, discussing various interesting things and experiences from their vacations.

After a moment, the head coach, along with the coaching staff, arrived at the training ground and announced today's training plan.

Because the offseason had just ended, most of the players had only just recovered from their vacation mode.

So, the intensity of the first day's training was not too high, mainly focusing on recovery exercises.

Watching the players on the training ground, Thomas Schaaf pondered over the selection of formations and tactics for the team in the new season.

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

In the 2005-2006 season, Werder Bremen once topped the Bundesliga in both goals scored and goal difference.

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, respectively.

Bayern Munich's strength is obvious, but being able to snatch these two first places from the giants of the Bundesliga shows Werder Bremen's attacking prowess.

However, Werder Bremen has always had a big problem: they are not good at defending.

They score a lot, but they also concede a lot.

During the peak period from 2004 to 2009, Werder Bremen could use more goals to cover up the problem of conceding too many goals.

However, starting from the 2009-2010 season, Werder Bremen's overall strength began to decline, their attacking firepower decreased, but the number of goals conceded did not decrease.

As a result, Werder Bremen's performance began to decline, gradually falling into the relegation zone, and this season even became a strong candidate for relegation.

A very realistic problem was in front of head coach Thomas Schaaf:

In the new season, does Werder Bremen still want to play the attacking football they used to?

Attacking football wins fans, but defensive counterattacks win games.

Defensive counterattacks seem to be a safer choice, but the problem is, Thomas Schaaf is not a coach who excels at defense.

Most of his time is devoted to studying attacking tactics and formations, and he is not particularly skilled at defense, especially efficient defensive counterattacks.

Principio del formulario

Expecting him to reach Mourinho's level of defensive counterattacking mastery is impossible.

Therefore, he dared not rashly make drastic changes to Werder Bremen's previous tactics.

If such changes were made, it might not only fail to achieve the desired effect but also leave the players bewildered, ultimately achieving the opposite result.

So, the safest approach is actually to make adjustments to the previous tactics, without changing the overall framework, and make some changes to the details of the team's offense and defense.

Based on the team's current characteristics, especially the large number of young players with good physical fitness and vigor.

Thomas Schaaf adjusted Werder Bremen's previously used 4-3-3 formation slightly to evolve it into a 4-1-4-1 formation.

The 4-3-3 formation is a typical attacking formation, and the evolved 4-1-4-1 not only retains the attacking advantages of the 4-3-3 but also makes some improvements to the defense.

The characteristic of this formation is to drop the wingers back to the position of wide midfielders.

During defense, they participate in midfield defense, forming a strong interception line of five in midfield, stifling the opponent's attack.

And during the attack, the withdrawn wingers utilize their position to join the attack from behind, launching attacks from both wings.

At this time, the withdrawn wide midfielders return to their roles as wingers and forwards to form a connection, reverting to the 4-3-3 formation in the frontcourt, with three forwards, offering a richer choice of attacks.

This formation also has its downsides. With two fewer wingers, the number of players in the frontcourt decreases sharply, making it difficult for the team to press and intercept vigorously in the opponent's half.

And deploying only one defensive midfielder makes the flanks of the team's midfield and defense slightly vulnerable, prone to being exploited by opponents.

Additionally, because the formation becomes 4-1-4-1, there are four lines in total, and controlling the distances between each line is a crucial issue. If the distance control is improper, defensive gaps are likely to appear.

In this formation, the most crucial positions are the defensive midfielder and the two wide midfielders.

The defensive midfielder is the linchpin of the midfield, serving as the team's last line of defense. Once breached, the team's defense will directly face the threat of the opponent.

While the two wide midfielders undertake certain defensive tasks, they are also the team's weapons for opening up the game and completing attacks.

Compared to the central forward who serves as a pivot in the frontcourt, the attacking tasks of the wide midfielders on both sides are more significant.

If they fail to open up the game, the team will fall into the dilemma of being passively attacked.

Fortunately, Schaaf's toolbox contains more than just this one choice. If the 4-1-4-1 tactic doesn't work, he can continue with the 4-3-3 or switch to a 4-4-2.

(The End of This Chapter)