Less than six months ago, the women of FC Bayern and SV Werder Bremen met in the final of the DFB Cup. The Munich side triumphed as expected, but reaching the final was nevertheless a historic event for Bremen. A lot’s happened on the Weser since that evening. The club, long seen as underdogs and relegation candidates, have realigned their football and are presenting themselves in a new guise under new management: more structured, braver, with a greater drive towards possession and greater willingness to take risks in pressing.
When Bremen visit Munich on Saturday, it’s not only a repeat of a final, but also a mini test of the development of a team who are playing with a new confidence on the back of their most successful ever season. fcbayern.com takes a look at that campaign, the changes on the touchline and reveals which attacking players Bayern need to pay particularly close attention to.
Bremen’s best-ever season
All eyes were on Cologne at the end of last season for Bremen as they reached the DFB Cup final for the first time. Although Werder came up short against Bayern, the team were hailed like winners after the match for their achievements over the year. They proved in both the quarter- and semi-finals that they can be a strong team in knockout football, demonstrating their passion and strength of nerve. The surprise victory against Bayer Leverkusen in the last eight set up the first highlight of the season: the first competitive northern derby between Bremen and Hamburg in women’s football. In front of a then record crowd of 57,000 at the sold-out Volksparkstadion, they battled into the final in extra time despite being a player down for an hour. The cup run was also helped by the fact that Bremen were safe in the Bundesliga at a relatively early stage and weren’t involved in the relegation battle again. With a record tally of 29 points, they finished the season in seventh place, the best showing in the club’s history.
New face in the dugout
After the departure of Thomas Horsch at the end of the season, Friederike Kromp took up her first role in the Bundesliga with over 20 years’ experience at youth level. Under the 40-year-old, Werder have moved from an established back five to a more flexible 4-3-3 formation. Above all, the associated switch to possession-based football with bold pressing up front marks a clear departure from previous years. Kromp, who holds the UEFA Pro Licence, already achieved sixth place in Bundesliga 2 last season with this playing philosophy as coach of Eintracht Frankfurt's reserve team.
Up to now, the new tactic has also been a success in Bremen: two wins, a draw and one defeat represent the best start to a campaign in the club’s history. The four league games have produced a total of 16 goals, with both teams scoring at least once in each one – a sign of the attacking but also vulnerable style of play.
The football school on the Weser
Werder Bremen have developed into one of the leading institutions for youth development in German women’s football in recent years. Swiss international Livia Peng, aged just 23, established herself as the undisputed No. 1 over the last two seasons and featured in all four matches for her country at the home Euro in the summer before moving to English champions Chelsea. Anneke Borbe, who also developed into a first-team player at Bremen, is now with Champions League winners Arsenal. In Tuana Mahmoud and Larissa Mühlhaus, two other homegrown players have developed into youth internationals and important first-team regulars for Werder. They’re following in the footsteps of the likes of Bremen-born Nina Lührßen, who now plies her trade for Europa Cup participants Eintracht Frankfurt having come through the ranks at her hometown club.
Plenty of talent but also experience in attack
Even before the tactical switch under the new coach, Tuana Mahmoud in particular had already caught the eye. The lightning-fast winger is hard to stop, not just because of her speed but also her dribbling ability. She’s represented Germany at every youth level since U15 and is currently an established figure in attack for the U23 side. There she plays, like she does in her club, alongside Larissa Mühlhaus. Also 22, the striker made a key contribution to Bremen’s most successful season with 10 goals. She’s taken that form into the new season, in which she’s been playing more as a number 10, and is already on three goals and five assists.
Summer signing Medina Dešić has taken on the role of front striker. The Montenegro international, who played for promoted side Nürnberg last season, has netted three goals.
Pernille Harder fired FC Bayern Women into the second round of the cup at Borussia Dortmund:
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