Werder Bremen – Bayer Leverkusen: Dominant Leverkusen Aggravate Bremen’s Relegation Fears (1-4)

What looked like an one-sided affair on paper, turned out to be exactly the same on the pitch. Leverkusen dominated possession right from the start, and although they failed to create a lot of chances, they kept Bremen on the back foot for the majority of the first half. Bremen changed the formation at half-time and had a good start in the second half, but Leverkusen’s third goal sealed the game for the visitors. 
Tactical analysis and match report by Jonas G.

The 2019/2020 season has been a complete disaster for Werder Bremen. Led by promising young manager Florian Kohfeldt, the team from the north again tried to fight for the European places as long as possible – but they find themselves being threatened by relegation while sitting in the 17th spot, with only 18 points from 24 games. And to make things even worse, they reopen their Bundesliga campaign against Bayer Leverkusen, who have been one of the best in the Bundesliga before the break. 

The question hanging above this game was, whether or not the teams keep their relative streaks going, or if Bremen used the time to improve on their weaknesses, which is easier said than done as team training was prohibited for most parts due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bremen’s lineup did not include any big surprises. Kohfeldt opted for a 4-3-3 formation with Kevin Vogt playing as holding midfielder against the ball, but dropped back between the center-backs during possession to form a back-three. 

Peter Bosz stuck to his familiar 4 . . .