Chapter 710: Exceptional (Second Perspective)
After 23 league matches, SV Werder Bremen ranked second in the league standings with 15 wins, 5 draws, and 3 losses, accumulating 50 points, while Bayern Munich, who topped the table, had 18 wins, 4 draws, and 1 loss, totaling 58 points.
"As expected of the kings of the south, besides losing to us that one time, they have been very consistent," Huang Hu commented while browsing the latest news on his stationary bike.
On the side, his teammates were sweating profusely, and Fritz added, "From the current situation, the Bundesliga is undoubtedly entering Bayern's time. Other teams find it hard to threaten their championship status."
"We have a 10-point gap with third-placed Borussia M?nchengladbach, so as long as we don't mess up, the team will surely secure a spot in the Champions League next season. The focus of the club will then shift to competing for cups."
As expected by the captain, in the third round of the DFB-Pokal against RB Leipzig, despite being a 2. Bundesliga team, coach Schaaf still sent out most of the main players.
RB Leipzig is an outlier in German football. At the beginning of this season, ten 2. Bundesliga clubs jointly launched a movement to boycott the team, but it didn't achieve the expected results.
In 2009, the Austrian Red Bull company acquired Saxony Leipzig, a small club in the fifth-tier league, and insisted on incorporating the sponsor's name into the team name.
This undoubtedly betrayed the club's traditional history and violated regulations. However, the investment side played a little trick by naming the club with the newly coined term "RasenBallsport," which is a neutral term but coincidentally matches the Red Bull brand abbreviation "RB."
Apart from this, their most detested action is the challenge to the 50+1 rule. German football has a principle highly revered by fans, which is that the investors' control of the club must not exceed 49%, and club members must have more than half of the voting rights.
However, all RB Leipzig club members are executives of the Red Bull company, bypassing this principle to unilaterally manipulate the club, which is considered a great insult to the fans.
If all clubs follow suit, then the teams that used to belong purely to everyone will be completely transformed and become mere playthings of capital, something German fans cannot tolerate.
During the match against RB Leipzig, it was evident that there were few supporters present, much less than the two DFB-Pokal opponents, Darmstadt and Heidenheim, that Werder Bremen faced earlier this season.
However, with financial support, their strength is indeed not bad, even reaching the lower level of the Bundesliga. It's no wonder the management proposed the ambitious plan of promotion through four levels to the Bundesliga within ten years.
After a fierce battle, SV Werder Bremen eventually defeated RB Leipzig 2-0, with Huang Hu and Felix Kroos scoring for the team.
In the next Bundesliga match against FC Augsburg in the 24th round, Schaaf sent out a substitute lineup. Huang Hu only got a chance to play in the last 10 minutes and failed to score.
The team lost 0-1 to the opponents.
The Europa League Round of 16 and the Champions League Round of 16 are held at about the same time, but the level of attention is vastly different. However, for the fans of the participating teams, supporting their own team is undoubtedly the top priority.
Nearly 3,000 Werder Bremen fans traveled to Rome to support the club. They believe that the players need support at this time.
Because in the first leg at the Weserstadion, the home team's performance was not good, drawing 1-1 with the strong Serie A team, losing the home advantage and allowing the opponent to score an away goal, putting them at a significant disadvantage.
This AS Roma team has Paraguayan rising star Iturbe in the front line, who became a hot commodity in last summer's transfer market due to his outstanding performance at Verona. Juventus, AC Milan, and Atletico Madrid have all pursued him, but Roma had the last laugh with a �22 million deal.
In midfield, there's the attacking and defensive engine composed of Paredes, Nainggolan, and De Rossi, and experienced veterans like Ashley Cole and Astori in the backline.
More importantly, the team leader, Roma prince Totti, is still in the lineup, providing a lot of spiritual strength to his teammates.
Fortunately, according to the latest news, some Italian players have some injury issues, and their absence is not ruled out, after all, Roma is currently in the lead.
For Werder Bremen, the focus of the game is to attack with all their might and strive to score goals, as their defensive level is not outstanding. Therefore, they have limited efforts on defense.
Instead, their offensive end is noteworthy. Besides Huang Hu, Selke and Haraguchi also have distinct characteristics, combined with attacking midfielder De Bruyne.
During the attack, Schaaf requires De Bruyne to play a bit more forward than Fritz and Bargfrede, similar to an attacking midfielder role, so that he can fully utilize his organizing and passing characteristics.
At the same time, the front trident also needs to seize the opportunity to appropriately retreat to support teammates and maintain a suitable connection distance with the midfield. Therefore, their running distance is essential.
At the beginning of the match, Roma felt something unusual; the away team was too active.
"De Bruyne breaks through from the wing and attempts to cross again!"
In the penalty area, Selke took a deep breath and leaped up, using his height and jumping ability, combined with the nearby Torosidis, as if flying.
After suppressing the defending player, the German striker headed the ball, beating the goalkeeper De Sanctis before he could save, and the ball went into the home team's goal. Werder Bremen reversed the situation in just 23 minutes!
"The home team is playing at a relatively slow pace, which is both due to their advantage and the current style of Serie A overall. However, they did not expect the away team to show such a strong desire to attack."
"Waves of attacks are crashing towards Roma like waves, and it's clear they are somewhat bewildered, completely allowing Werder Bremen to seize the initiative."
Possession, attacks, and the number of threats created, the far-away Bundesliga powerhouse is far superior.
After the reversal, Werder Bremen continued to be aggressive and maintained their high-intensity attacking rhythm, pushing forward immediately after winning the ball, hoping to secure victory in one fell swoop.
As the first half was about to end, Fritz dribbled the ball past the center line, and Roma defender Nainggolan tried to intercept.
The team captain performed a little feint, pretending to step back with the ball, but actually pushed forward forcefully, breaking away from the opponent with the momentum.
Taking advantage of the other defensive forces shifting towards him, Fritz decisively passed the ball, then immediately exchanged passes with De Bruyne, advancing several steps to the edge of the penalty area.
Huang Hu had just reached a position not too far away to support, but he couldn't turn around well in the direction of the attack, so Fritz cleverly chipped the ball over the top to find the fulcrum Selke.
The Chinese youngster immediately understood and turned his head to make a forward run, while Selke nodded the ball horizontally. The two met perfectly in the penalty area, and Huang Hu didn't hesitate to stop the ball with his leg for a moment before fiercely shooting.
"Boom!" Like a cannonball, it pierced through the Roma goal and also struck hard in the hearts of the home fans.
This goal became the final straw that broke the camel's back for the opponents. They failed to organize effective attacking means again, while Werder Bremen appropriately retreated to consolidate their victory.
Until the 78th minute, De Bruyne broke through De Sanctis's ten fingers with a direct free kick.
3-0! This scoreline was exactly the same as the away match against Freiburg in the 25th round of the Bundesliga a few days ago.
In the end, SV Werder Bremen eliminated Roma with a total score of 4-1 over two legs, advancing to the Europa League quarter-finals.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺