Daniel Thioune is facing the first major rotation of the season at Werder Bremen. The manager has fielded an unchanged starting eleven for five consecutive Bundesliga games, a run that has taken the team to eighth place with nine points from six matches. He now admits the upcoming congested schedule of three matches in eight days will force changes.
The coach said the fixture congestion would necessitate swaps. Nevertheless, he pointed to the unbeaten streak and noted that sometimes too much change might not be good. The streak started with a home win against Augsburg and recently included a draw with Paderborn. Across the last five league games, Werder's form reads one win, three draws and one loss, most recently a 2-2 draw with Paderborn on Saturday 17 October. In that match, Niclas Füllkrug scored both goals for Bremen. Füllkrug is the team's top scorer this season with six goals in six appearances, part of a record of 12 goals scored and 12 conceded.
Pressure from the substitutes' bench is growing noticeably. Professional Football Director Peter Niemeyer is watching closely as squad players push for starts. He said the players from the bench are pushing hard and waiting for their chance. Several times this season it has been the substitutes who have helped the team. An example is Mitchell Weiser, who returned from a long injury layoff and scored as a substitute. Senne Lynen is also available again after his injury.
The next test comes on Saturday away to fifth-placed Mainz 05. The last meeting ended in a defeat for Werder. This is followed by the DFB-Pokal round of 16 tie at Borussia Dortmund and a league home game. This tight schedule will test Thioune's rotation plans. With a striker who has several season goals already and other returning players, the manager has options. The team must balance continuity with necessary freshness while sitting five points behind the league leaders.
This story first appeared at Bild Sport
