It’s not always beautiful, but it’s currently successful: Werder Bremen wins games because belief is back – and a bit of luck, too. And if they continue getting results, they will earn a place in European competitions for the first time since the 2006/07 campaign.Michael Gregoritsch’s goal in the 90th minute saved SC Freiburg against Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday evening, securing them a point with a 3-3 draw – but ultimately, it meant too little for the Bundesliga table to reclaim seventh place. SV Werder Bremen had already taken that position on Friday evening, and despite both teams being tied on points (29), Werder’s negative overall goal difference of -3 was enough to secure their spot; Freiburg’s sits at -11.#Friedl unbeatable. 🤯Die Highlights von #KOESVW 👉https://t.co/EAZOKEFyHg#Werder pic.twitter.com/ntnH2DbXOK— SV Werder Bremen (@werderbremen) February 20, 2024 Werder doesn’t need excessively much at the moment to be successful. Their 1-0 away victory in Cologne was based on a performance that wasn’t particularly convincing, much like their previous win in Mainz. However, by once again delivering an impeccable defensive performance, Ole Werner’s team set the stage for a win and ultimately capitalized on the few opportunities they had. It may be minimalist, but it has led the club to a position in the table that they haven’t enjoyed in a long time.However, the sudden possibility of being on course for Europe as the seventh-placed team, should top-favourite Bayer Leverkusen indeed win the DFB-Pokal at the end of the season, is something Werder’s head coach hasn’t focused on much.”Everyone knows exactly what matchday we’re on. If I’ve calculated correctly, we haven’t even reached the final third of the season. I won’t be looking over people’s shoulders to see what they’re doing on their phones.”##NAJAVA_MECA_7891619##Clemens Fritz also thinks the shift in focus has come a bit too quickly. Before the Bundesliga resumed in January, a 1-3 friendly defeat to Braunschweig had raised concerns about the possibility of relegation. More than six weeks later, things have taken a turn in the opposite direction, with Werder securing four wins out of their first five matches in the second half of the season.”Against Koln, it wasn’t easy for the boys on a difficult pitch, but they had the belief: ‘We’re always good for a goal.'”Three away wins on the trot 🔥Seventh in the table ✔️𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒐𝒅: 🖐️😛🖐️#werder #koesvw pic.twitter.com/hAdO3BEa7k— SV Werder Bremen EN (@werderbremen_en) February 18, 2024 However, it’s also true that Koln goalkeeper Marvin Schwabe significantly facilitated the winning goal. The challenge by Michael Zetterer against Luca Kilian could have also resulted in a penalty. Marco Friedl barely saved the ball on the goal line. Even the decisive moment in Mainz was preceded by a slapstick act by the opponent.But Fritz remembered similar incidents that went against his team in the narrow defeats against Freiburg (0-1) and Hoffenheim (2-3).”We had this issue in the first half of the season too. It was about shifting this momentum back in our favour. We succeeded, and now we’re benefiting from it – but that’s not a given. We’ve earned it.”
