I’m not a betting man and never have been and for a good reason- I’m dreadful at it. Even though I may seem and be knowledgeable, we always tend to miss the often-rated effect of momentum, which can come at any time, like Deus Ex Machina to save the day or the season. This has become hoi polloi at bipolar Werder Bremen as they once again rise from their own ashes during the Rückrunde.
Florian Kohfeldt’s Werder Bremen have now gone nine games unbeaten and their rather lucky win against Niko Kovac’ Eintracht this weekend means that their Bundesliga status is all but confirmed for another term. As stated before, it’s not seldom to see this sudden rise anymore. On the contrary, It’s somewhat expected. Momentum is once again Bremen’s best companion when times get tough and this once again goes to show the sheer importance of momentum in football, a tricky factor often overlooked by experts.
As nice as momentum can be, as dreadful and dire can it also become. When Borussia Dortmund finished the 2014/15 Hinrunde in 18th, this was down to negative momentum, a mental block that forced them into uncontrollable despair. The same with Borussia Mönchengladbach under Lucien Favre in 2015, Markus Weinzierl in 2016 and Peter Stöger in 2017. Mental blocks that destroy the future of a manager at a club, momentum that dismantles careful planning in the space of weeks.
Often when a team does very well or very poorly, it can all be attributed to the power of momentum, which is why it is the most pokerfilmerna factor in football. The greatest tactics won’t matter when that mental block becomes a singularity, albeit it might soften the blow. Therefore Werder Bremen can do this year after year after year. They have found a way to generate momentum- through a new coach.
It’s a shame really. Bremen are stuck in a circle. One coach comes in, does well, gains the vital momentum, leads them to safety which inspires hope among fans and players. The club bulks up over the summer and start the season with high expectations and hopes. Then, the sand castle collapses and what’s left is only wet sand. The coach is sacked, an interim is appointment and after a rocky start he starts to perform and we’re back where we began. Thus, Bremen become the beacon of momentum and its value, while still being stuck for they can only gain it when appointing a new coach.
Always close, always biopolar, never really there, but never really gone either. Stuck in a limbo between success and dread, are Bremen destined for eternal life in the mid-table wastelands? Or will they find an alternate path to the awesome force of momentum?
1 | Bayern Munich need just one more win to be crowned Bundesliga champions for the sixth consecutive season after their 6-0 thrashing of Der Klassiker rivals, Borussia Dortmund. With 15 goals against their opponents in the past three meetings at the Allianz Arena, many would agree that Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund is no longer a classic. And it may be that way for some time.
Even though Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has stated that they will announce a new head coach by the end of April, the dominant force in Germany will remain far superior of their once tough opponents, Dortmund. They themselves are likely to appoint a new head coach, with Peter Stöger’s contract running until the end of the season, with Dortmund’s hierarchy are unlikely to keep the Austrian on, given their recent performances.
It’s fair to assume that this season will be Jupp Heynckes’ last with the club, with Niko Kovac, Julian Nagelsmann and Joachim Löw all linked while it would be some achievement to win yet another treble, with Bayern arguably Barcelona’s rivals for the Champions League.
2 | From beating their local rivals Bayer Leverkusen to a 6-0 drubbing at the hands of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, it may look like 1. FC Köln’s great escape may finally be coming to an end. Even with seven games remaining, they are six points behind 1. FSV Mainz 05 who occupy the relegation play-off spot. While it’s still possible, the Billy Goats face Mainz, Schalke and Bayern Munich at home and so it’s difficult to see where they’re going to make up the points.
Even worse, Hamburger SV are slumped at the bottom of the Bundesliga with little to no hope of staying up. It looks as though they may finally see their first ever relegation from the Bundesliga, which has certainly been coming. At the minute, they offer nothing to the league while it’s hard to imagine they were playing Champions League football not too long ago.
3 | With a form like Wolfsburg’s, it’s hard to see how they don’t occupy a place in the relegation zone. A goalless draw on Saturday night at Hertha BSC means they haven’t scored in three consecutive fixtures, which is a first for more than six years. It’s lucky that both 1. FC Köln and Hamburger SV can’t find any form, otherwise the Wolves would be down there, given they lost Mario Gomez to VfB Stuttgart.
Axel Falk with Daniel Pinder.
