[FM12] SV Werder Bremen - Lean Mean and Green

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## Updated for 12.2 patch to see squad changes for patch 12.2 please see post #5

This thread is dedicated to SFraser, to those who don't know what I'm talking about go HERE, for those that do, I have nothing but respect for a man who loved football as much as he obviously did, and was happy to share his passion with all of us.

Otherwise, welcome to

The SV Werder Bremen FM12 Thread

Opportunity knocks.

5 reasons to play a Werder Bremen save.

We're going to start this thread off just a little differently, and since most of you haven't considered the potential in Germany, here's a few reasons to consider going green in FM2012:

1. Marin and Arnautovic : Two wingers with immense skill on the ball and the potential to make something out of nothing, when they're both on, it's a joy to behold.

2. Naldo and Sokratis : What other team has two central defenders with as much pace as these two

3. Lack of funds : Werder aren't in say... Portsmouth kinda trouble, but they have a few issues and it makes the game so much more fun than say... $$$ city

4. Arnautovic and Hunt : Talented lads, but actually getting them motivated is the hard part, both are temperamental little sots, as likely to get themselves sent off as they are to score wonder goals.

5. The crocks : Naldo, Pizarro, Silvestre and Boenisch all start the year with serious injuries, Hunt is also known to be very injury prone, so you start with a squad already stretched by injury, but if you can handle it, there's a lot of talent here.

Team History.

SV Werder Bremen were founded back in 1899 when a group of 16 year olds won a football as a prize in a tug of war competition. Originally named FV Werder Bremen, the expanding sporting interests of the club led them to rename the club Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 in 1920. At the end of World War II the club was dissolved and merged with other Nazi-banned clubs before being renamed to SV Werder Bremen a couple of years later.

In 1961, the club celebrated its first German cup victory and in 1963-4 played its first season in the Bundesliga. A year later in 1964-5 the club celebrated it's first Bundesliga Championship. The club stayed in the Bundesliga for years after this, never quite replicating that championship, and then at the end of the 1979-80 season, a poor 17th place saw them relegated.

It only took a season for them to return to the top flight, and with Otto Rehhagel as coach, the team began to return to the top. With players like Rudi Voller and current manager Thomas Schaaf, the club returned toward the top of the table, twice finishing runners-up on goal difference, in 1983 and 1986.

In 1988 the drought was finally broken as the club claimed the German Championship. More success would follow as the team claimed the German Cup in 1991, and the following year, the European Cup Winners Cup, beating Monaco in the final. More success followed in 1993 as the team once again won the German Championship, and in 1994, they won the German Cup again. In 1995 Rehhagel finally resigned as coach in Bremen and moved to Bayern Munich.

A transitional time followed, with mid-table mediocrity the order of the day, until things went slightly sour in 1999 and with the club facing relegation, Felix Magath was sacked, and current manager Thomas Schaaf took over, guiding the team to safety.

Schaaf steadily built the team on playing offensively, and the 2003-4 season was to be the big year as the club won both the German Championship and the German Cup. The club finished runners-up again in 2006 and 2008. The club won the German Cup again in 2009, finishing runners-up in the UEFA cup after losing the final to Shakhtar Donetsk.

Last year was an inauspicious one for Werder, with the club starting the season by losing Meszut Ozil to Real Madrid. Injuries beset the team, and with financial issues starting to come to the fore, the club found itself at the wrong end of the table, needing a late resurgence to ensure they survived in the Bundesliga, eventually finishing 13th.

For a more detailed history of the club please see the following links, which are also where I've drawn most of the information for this history from :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SV_Werder_Bremen

http://www.werder.de/en/club/ueber-werder/chronik/1899-1947.php

Stadium and Facilities

Original image link : http://www.football-pictures.net/data/media/279/Weserstadion_Wallpaper2.jpg

SV Werder play at the Weserstadion, so named for its idyllic location on the banks of the Weser river in Bremen. The stadium was constructed in 1925 and whilst this may seem to make it old, it has undergone a series of upgrades over the years, the latest of which is aimed at turning it into a true football arena. Also contained in the stadium is a museum chronicling the history of Werder, dubbed the Wuseum.

The club has a separate reserve stadium, top training facilities and good youth facilities. The latest upgrade of the stadium is expected to be fully finished in 2011 so don't expect to see the board screaming for a new stadium any time soon.

Fans and Club Culture

Over the years, Werder's fans have become known as a respectful group on the whole. An example of this, was during last year's poor run of form. A group of fans blockaded the team bus, demanding to speak with the manager bout the club's poor form, and Thomas Schaaf obliged, entering into what was described as a “peaceful” discussion with the group. Even whilst the team was facing the possibility of relegation last season, the general consensus was that Schaaf should not be sacked, having been an exemplary servant of the club right throughout his playing and coaching career. In all likelihood Schaaf will be coach until he decides its time to leave Werder, out of respect for all he has done for the club.

Club chairman Willi Lemke, Director of Football Klaus Allofs and all the managing directors have been involved with the club for a long time, some as players and others as administrators, and this stability is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

Club Analysis

It's hard to really discuss and analyse the squad as a playing group without first analysing where the club is at as a whole. Most fans would know Werder mostly as “the place that sold Mertesacker to Arsenal,” or “the place that sold Ozil to Real Madrid.” And this isn't far from the truth.

Mertesacker and Naldo formed the backbone of the club that almost won the 2009 UEFA cup, giving stability at the back whilst Ozil and Diego provided the creative spark in the middle of the park. Of those 4 only Naldo remains, and he spent the entire 2010-11 season on the bench.

The club is currently struggling with some financial issues, so much so that they've reportedly told Tim Wiese they may not be able to offer him a new contract when his runs out at the end of this season. If you look at it objectively, there are a number of important players whose contracts are ending this season, and it remains to be seen which of them will be retained.

The club has always had a culture of identifying young players and bringing them in, helping them grow and then selling them for a profit later on. Ozil, Pizarro, Torsten Frings, Mertesacker, Miroslav Klose and Diego are all examples of players bought from other clubs at a young age and given first team opportunities before being sold for profit. Likely Marko Marin will be the next of these.

In game this trend will likely continue. The club is expected to push for a European place again this year, and with little money available to start with, it is likely to be a sell before you buy kind of place.

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Squad Analysis

Goalkeepers

Wiese: Tim Wiese will be your starting goalkeeper, hands down, without a doubt. This is quite possibly the only part of the team that is rock solid. Great shot stopper, fearless and determined, his only perceived weakness is in the air. Without him in goal, it's likely Werder would have been relegated last year. Team Vice-captain. IRL the club is struggling to be able to offer him a new contract due to financial issues.

Mielitz/Vander : These are the backups, and are nothing but. Mielitz has filled in admirably whilst Wiese has served an early season suspension.

Defence

Werder Bremen have never been the most rock solid team at the back, this is partly due to the fact that Thomas Schaaf has always had a preference for attacking football, mostly following the old adage that the best defense is a good offense. Over the past few years, the periods when the team have looked most assured at the back have been when Mertesacker and Naldo were in the heart of defence. Obviously this is no longer the case, but there is some potential for this to be a strength of the team again.

In real life, Schaaf has preferred a back four this year, mostly going with Sokratis as the right back, Wolf and Prodl in the middle and Lukas Schmitz on the left. With Naldo finally back from injury Prodl will likely revert to the bench. The fullbacks are the obvious area of weakness in game, the starters are serviceable, but can be improved on. Injury to Fritz or Schmitz could leave you a little short at the back out wide.

Central Defence

Naldo : Missed the entire 2010-2011 campaign through injury and starts the game still injured. When fit he is likely one of the first names on your teamsheet. With Mertesacker they formed a strong basis at the back, hopefully he can be a rock again with a new partner. Pacy for a centre back with good aerial ability,anticipation and work rate. Begins the game still recovering from last years injury for about 2 months.

Sokratis : On loan from Genoa with buyout clause of 3.5 million pounds. Seemingly the natural choice to partner Naldo, and if he's anywhere near as good as he was in FM2011 3.5 million is dirt cheap. Good pace, great tackling and marking skills.

Prodl : Backup centre back, slower than Naldo and Sokratis, but stronger. A good solid option for whenever the other two are unavailable.

Wolf : Once again a strong, determined option, a good solid backup, or possibly third DC if that's what you want for your formation.

Silvestre : Bought in to shore up the left side of defence, he's really more of a DC. He's slowing down and coming to the end of a distinguished career. Starts the game out for 7 months or so with a knee injury.

Fullbacks

Fritz : Current captain of the team in real life. He's fast, versatile and has good teamwork, likely the starting RB. RL Thomas Schaaf has used him as more of a holding midfielder this year, preferring to use Sokratis as a pure RB, and he can fill this role as well.

Schmitz : Once again bought in to be the LB, Schmitz starts as a natural Left midfielder, but is really the best option on the team starting out. He's fast and versatile, but his positioning lets him down a bit, but a good attacking option if you like your fullbacks to get forward.

Boenisch : Currently injured, he's gone until likely February. When fit, he's been solid in FM10-11, he has good pace and can run all day, does a solid job defensively whilst helping out the attack. Able to play both FB positions, he's good to keep as cover for both starters.

Midfield

Schaaf has always had a preference for a 4 man midfield. This has either been in the shape of a diamond, or as part of a 4-1-3-2 or a 4-3-1-2. Players like Fritz, Schmitz, Wesley and Ignjovski are versatile and can fill many different roles within the team, but this can also be a weakness, with a lack of anyone to really excel in some places.

It has also left the team a little more exposed defensively, with Aaron Hunt and Marko Marin usually covering the left side of the pitch, and neither is what you would call defensively minded. For the most part Fritz has been the right midfielder with Bargfrede being the defensive minded holding midfielder and a combination of Marin/Hunt/Ekici providing the offensive creativity.

Central Midfield

Wesley : Versatile Brazilian. Good pace and stamina, lacks in strength. Skills are likely more suited to a ball-winning role than a creative one, he's played pretty much the entire right side of the pitch in real life and is also a possible candidate for re-training as a FB.

Ekici : Good technically, his first touch, corners and passing are top notch, with more first team games he may well develop into a good playmaker, and deserves the first team opportunities to see how he develops.

Bargfrede : Could develop into a solid first team player. A good tackler with good anticipation, he's a tireless worker in the midfield. Technical skills are a bit lacking, but a solid central midfield choice.

Borowski : A personal favorite, really the best creative midfielder in the team currently, even as his age starts to catch up to him. A good determined, professional player, with reasonably well rounded skills.

Ignjovski : Great marking, tackling, and work rate. In real life, with the injury to Boenisch, he has started his Werder career filling in at left back, and it would be possible to retrain him in that role. Very determined player that could develop into a very good defensive midfielder if handled properly.

Attacking Midfield

Marin : Some have called him “The German Messi” due to his impish size and control of the ball at his feet, amazing first step, great dribbler with a lot of flair, at his best when running at defenses. In real life his days at Werder may be numbered due to financial issues at the club, but a lot of potential here.

Hunt : Great creative outlet, has great creativity, decision making and flair. Technically gifted he sadly suffers from being quite injury prone. His determination is also low, and he's never been called a model professional but if you can handle the drawbacks he has the potential to unlock defenses for your side.

Arnautovic : The Austrian Balotelli, which is amusing since Balotelli is one of his favored personnel. Great dribbler with high flair and great technique. Starts the game as a natural AMR, although in real life Schaaf uses him primarily as a striker. He's pretty much a combination of Marin's best bits and Hunt's worst. He has a history of off-field issues as well as a penchant for getting himself sent off. Possibly the best player in the squad on his day.

Strikers

Pizarro is the star here, though the big question is how much longer his body can hold up. Last year he was hurt a lot and if that trend continues, Werder could find themselves in the unenviable position of trying to replace one of their most consistent attacking weapons.

This season Schaaf has generally played two strikers up front with Arnautovic and Pizarro his preferred combination, although injury and suspension have led to ample opportunities for Markus Rosenberg and even a couple of games for the youngster Lennart Thy.

Pizarro : Ageless wonder, the best striker on the team. Great composure, anticipation and off the ball, combined with great heading and good physical gifts makes him into the complete package. Will likely need to be replaced in the next few years, but for now, the undisputed best striker on the team.

Rosenberg : He's quick and agile, but otherwise best described as average. If you deploy two strikers, he would fight with the three attacking midfielders for the spot next to Pizarro.

Wagner : Physically gifted target man. Good in the air, could develop into a really strong striker over the next couple of years if given first team time. Did a really good job last season playing as a target man for Pizarro to play off of.

Youngsters

Kroos : Will likely forever be referred to as “Toni's Brother” but has a good amount of potential in his own right, if given the opportunity could develop into a solid first team option, possibly worth giving him a chance when the inevitable happens and Hunt gets hurt.

Trinks : In a similar vein, already a great dribbler and free kick taker, could develop into a good attacking midfielder if given first team chances in the next few years.

Stevanovic : Another potentially good attacking midfielder, though seemingly more rounded than either kroos or trinks. Lacking in strength, but another with the potential to push for first team time in the near future.

Thy : Good off the ball, teamwork and anticipation complemented by decent physical skills and already decent finishing mean Thy could be a potential replacement for Pizarro, but he still has some developing to do.

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Opinion on how to play them in game

Everything hereafter is opinion, I'll be adding my personal opinion on the squad, who I would keep who I would sell and how I plan to handle the team in my save. There are numerous ways to do this, which is part of why I like this team, with Arsenal you're locked into finding a new Cesc, with Man U, Rooney will be your starting striker, with Bayern , Robben will inevitably win you games and then get hurt.

Here you have a number of tactical options which I will summarise before I go through my plans for the team in my save.

The unpredictability of the Hunt/Marin/Arnautovic combo can be as exhilirating as it is infuriating, but all three would fetch sizeable transfer fees very quickly in game if you chose not to run with them. Selling them you could easily clear 100k pounds off your wage bill whilst generating 20 million in transfer funds to reshape the team in your own image.

The other thing this team is really lacking is a good on-field leader. Frings and Mertesacker were it, and both are now gone. Fritz, Wiese, and Pizarro are all good, but none of them is the sort of inspirational figure you would really want as a captain.

The other thing to keep in mind, is that Werder II play in the Third Division in Germany, so you have ready made fixtures for your reserves team, down the line, if you handle this properly it will be like having a second club where you can send all your promising youngsters to get game time in a competitive atmosphere.

Possible Formations

Schaaf's way :

Thomas Schaaf has predominantly preferred versions of the 4-4-2 in his time at the club. This season has been no different as he has been deploying his team in a 4-1-3-2 or a 4-3-1-2 for most of this season.

Due to injury Schaaf has mostly played Sokratis as his right back, Schmitz as his left back and two of Naldo, Wolf and Prodl in the centre of defence. Ahead of them Bargfrede has been the first choice as the holding midfielder, with Hunt and Marin on the left for the most part, and Fritz covering the right hand side. Ekici and Hunt have shared duties as the creative force in the middle, sometimes playing “in the hole” and sometimes as central midfielders whilst Bargfrede plays in front of the back 4.

Up front, Pizarro has been first choice and Schaaf seems to prefer Arnautovic next to him, although due to injury and suspension Markus Rosenberg has been given a number of games up front.

Three at the back:

Naldo and Sokratis have the pace to do this, Likely if you make this choice, you'll want to find a solid 3rd central defender. Wesley, Bargfrede and Ignjovski all look to be built as holding midfielders. You could use either a 3-5-2 or a 3-6-1 alignment ahead of this, even a 3-4-3 could work with Marin/Hunt/Arnautovic playing off of Pizarro up front.

If you choose this way, then you have a choice, Arnautovic and Marin can play as wide midfielders but neither is even remotely interested in defending which could leave you struggling. Schmitz and Fritz are both solid wide midfielders but have nowhere near the attacking flair of the two Marko's, but the Fritz/Schmitz combo can also play as wing backs.

Up front Ekici, Borowski and Hunt all work well in the hole, with Pizarro up front and either Arnautovic or Rosenborg next to him. You could also play a single striker with 2 men behind him if you so chose. My personal opinion, if you're going to do this, go the full tree formation as shown below, I'm not going to say it will work, but it's an option...

The 4-3-3:

A solid back four of Fritz, Naldo, Sokratis and Schmitz could be complemented with a midfield trio of Wesley and Bargfrede holding the fort whilst Hunt or Ekici was allowed the freedom to create.

Up front, Pizarro could work as a target with the sheer speed of Marin, Arnautovic and Rosenberg possibly creating issues for defences.

The 4-5-1 :

The standard back 4 of Fritz, Naldo, Sokratis and Schmitz, with either Bargfrede or Wesley lining up in front of them. This allows the placement of two creative players in Borowski and Ekici to control the midfield, with plenty of space up front for Marin and Arnautovic to run at defenses and Pizarro to poach anything loose.

The 4-2-3-1:

Everybody's doing it. This is really my personal favorite. Start with the usual back four of Fritz, Naldo, Sokratis, and Schmitz. I personally like to play a ball winner next to a playmaker. So Bargfrede or Wesley (in the demo Ignjovski did this role really well) next to Ekici or Borowski. The trio of Hunt, Marin, and Arnautovic are unleashed behind Pizarro up front. This seems to be the best and most natural fit of the team in my opinion. The key to it is to let Marin and Arnautovic use their natural dribbling skills to run at defences, whilst having Hunt “in the hole” plucking the strings.

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My Save

Looking at this squad, my first two priorities which absolutely must be achieved by the end of the first season are clearing some room for wages, and finding the money to tie down Sokratis permanently. I don't want Wiese walking away for nothing if I can at all avoid it. Pizarro's contract is also up at the end of the year, and whilst he's still great, 67k a week might be better spent elsewhere if I can find a cheaper replacement, or if Wagner and Thy prove to me that they can handle the job up front every week.

Decisions are also going to have to be made this first season in regards to Fritz, do you really want to pay a guy about to turn 31 40k a week when you know he's about to hit that downhill slide. The same can be said for Borowski, a fantastic club servant, but at 31, his 42k per week could be better spent elsewhere and Ekici is a ready made replacement at only 21 years old and literally half his wages. Mikael Silvestre is sitting on 25k per week whilst he recovers from a knee injury for 7 months, and then his contract is up at seasons end, not likely to be renewed.

Markus Rosenberg's contract is also up at seasons end, and he will be someone I am trying to sell straight away. Hopefully I can raise about 4 million for him, and clear 25k off my wage bill to start.

I plan to play the team in the 4-2-3-1 formation shown above, when everyone is fit and healthy I think it's the best way to deploy the team. The obvious weaknesses are the hit-or-miss nature of Hunt and Arnautovic and the vulnerability of Fritz and Schmitz at the back.

I'll probably try and sell both Hunt and Arnautovic if I can. I have a personal preference to good professional determined players, and that's something neither of these two is. Especially given Hunt's injury record, clearing his 40k per week from my wage bill would be beneficial, and Arnautovic's ability to disrupt a dressing room isn't something I really want around. If I can only clear one, likely it will be Arnautovic that will go.

If I'm lucky, that will give me close to 15 million pounds to spend and close to 100k of my wage bill cleared. Take away the 3.5 million for Sokratis buyout and we have about 11 million left. With Hunt and Arnautovic gone, I plan to play Mehmet Ekici in the hole where Hunt was, and Borowski in central midfield to start. Unless the youngsters look like they can handle it (Trinks perhaps?) this means I'll need to find a solid right winger for my tactic.

Other things to consider will be finding a replacement for Fritz at right back, as he's only going to last another season or two at best if I do re-sign him. Also, I'm going to look into getting another left back, the reasoning being that Schmitz is a versatile little player, he can play anywhere up the left side of the pitch, and should anything happen to Marin, if I had another good left back, I could move Schmitz up to cover the wing slot. Another promising central midfielder might be good as well, once again, just in case I don't re-sign Borowski.

As for Pizarro's future... Sandro Wagner, Lennart Thy and Denni Avdic are the other strikers available to me, although Avdic starts with a long term injury, I hope to give Wagner and Thy some game time early this year to see if either really shows me he has what it takes to replace the great man himself. If not, they could be sold in January. The same could be said of Florian Trinks, Felix Kroos, and Predrag Stevanovic. All look to have decent prospects, but if they fail to impress, they could be revenue generators as well.

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Patch 12.2 update.

Andreas Wolf has left the club and transferred to Monaco, with Francois Affolter and Zlatko Junuzovic coming in.

Affolter : Central Defender, nothing overly spectacular about him, but he is cheap, and his loan contract runs for a full 18 months. In real life this was a necessity of a move, with continuing injuries to Naldo and Prodl taking a brutal hit to the face, Werder were in a position where Sokratis was the only viable Central Defender in the first team squad so Affolter was bought in to fill the hole. He isn't brilliant by any means, but as cheap as he is, it's worth keeping him around on the loan contract to cover for the injuries in the first team at the start of the game.

Junuzovic : The Austrian Ozil supposedly, I guess time will tell. In game he's a nice enough option to have offering a bit more creativity to the side. He's scored a few long range goals in my first season and has been a solid, if unspectacular option as either an AMC, AMR or even an MC.

Bargfrede : He's had some decent upgrades to reflect the good year he's been having. Whereas before he needed a bit more seasoning to be useful in the first team now he can come in and play right away. He's versatile and does a good job in the same place he plays RL : cleaning up in front of the defence. Midway through my first season he actually took over at right back because Fritz got injured, and hasn't looked back, really good flexible defensive minded mid who can be retrained as a fullback.

Wesley : Wesley has been downgraded. In real life he's had some serious problems adapting to Germany, so there's a hidden stat that's changed quite a lot. It's sad to see him drop off a bit, but such is life. I wound up selling him for 5 million pounds early on. In real life he's in the last stages of a transfer back to Brazil, so he won't be here for FM13.

Trybull and Hartherz have been upgraded a little bit, though their potential hasn't been changed. Trybull is now listed as being able to play anywhere from DR right through to CM so he's hopefully going to turn into another flexible valuable member of the first team squad in the near future.

Other changes of note : Marin, Arnautovic and Ekici are down slightly. Claudio is up a bit based on his good performances this season. Tim Borowski has been added to the long term injury list and sadly in my game this was 8-9 months, about 3 months in it was obvious that he'd "fallen off the cliff" and was never going to be useful in the first team anymore so I did a rather painful thing and cut him to free up his 41k per week wages, the fans weren't happy, but he really wasn't ever going to fit back into the first team again, and 41k is a lot when you only have a 600k wage budget.

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** reserved for future info

[Tommy_Styles]

Really nice guide! One question though, how did pick them in the demo? =P

Well okay, another question; are there any contracts of key players running out within a year?

[Purefun]

Very nice OP.

The standard of teamthreads has been very high this year.

[Seule]

Really nice guide! One question though, how did pick them in the demo? =P

Well okay, another question; are there any contracts of key players running out within a year?

I found a quickstart that someone made for Germany, not sure how it was made, but it worked for me.

Key players who's contracts are running out I was planning to update when full game was out but as of demo :

Pizarro, Wiese, Fritz, Borowski, Rosenberg, Silvestre, Prodl, Thy, obviously sokratis cause he's on loan. It gives a lot of flexibility at the end of the first season really, Pizarro is on 67k per week, thats over 1/10th of the entire wage budget at the moment, so it's possible to make a lot of room to work with at the end of the first season, and possibly be heading into Europe in good shape to attract bigger names.

[Llew_Arshavin23]

Love this thread Well Done mate.

[Tommy_Styles]

Thanks for the answer! Looks like some key players will be hard to tie down then, although Rosenberg is no loss (I dislike him ever since he played in the Netherlands). I've watched their game over the weekend and Marin played great. Should be a great team for anyone who wants a bit of a project with bags of potential.

[McGougan33]

Really good thread mate, very impressed with the detail

[Seule]

The other reason for loving most teams in germany, the reserves actually play in a competitive league, so any youngsters you want to bring along actually get competitive match experience, all be it in the german third division, but if you handle it correctly, it's a bloody valuable asset.

[Frenck]

Great job with this thread so far. I'm really curious about some of the less established youngsters like Aleksandar Stevanic, Tom Trybull, Levent Aycicek, Cimo Röcker and Florian Hartherz (such a cool name). Werder II was quite weak in FM11, maybe they can establish themselves in the Third Division this time around.

[Diego_Werderdona]

Great thread! Will look forward to following this (still waiting for FM to be released in NZ!)

[Seule]

On my save, Aycicek has started the U-19 season with 8 goals in 11 games and an average rating of 8.73, so here's hoping that bears fruit. I want to see how Trybull does, he doesn't "look" great to start with, but maybe if he's treated well, same thing with Aleksandar.

BTW best name in Werder -> Malte Beermann

[Babak G]

Do you have a good batch of youngsters coming through?

[Seule]

I'm going to try and post an update on the weekend basically going over my first season with this team.

As for youngsters, Ignjovski is only 20 and he's going to develop into a first-teamer easily, will be of a caliber to start for most top division clubs in Europe, same for Mehmet Ekici. Trinks has a terrible personality, but looks like he will grow into a good squad player, impact player from the bench, not sure I'll ever trust him as a full-time starter though. Lennart Thy looks like he'll develop into a good first team striker as well, and Levent Aycicek has the potential to become a first team player as well.

And that's just the players you start with before the transfer window. Personally I've been able to add Yaya Sanogo, Erick Torres and Sime Vrsaljko to this group, so I've got a good young core built to go forward.

[london boy]

Werder are a great team to manage because there is a solid foundation there with good potential. Personally, I would play the 4-2-3-1 system with them as it suits the players that are already there. Bargfrede and Ignojvski look impressive defensive-minded central midfielders.

Replacing Fritz long-term would be my major transfer focus, otherwise it's a solid squad

[chinocudeiro]

Hi, second season here with Werder.

Playing with a 4-1-2-2-1 (4-3-2-1), won the Bundesliga the first year.

I didn´t know how to handle Pizarro. I benched him all over the year. Arnautovic was the striker. He did a really good job (14 goals and 15 assists in 30 games).

The guide is really solid. The midfielders in this team are really great, especially Ekici. He dominates the game. Although Borowski is really the heart of the team. I suffered when he was injured during the season. I played with Bargfrede as DMC, Ignjovski is a really great option too. He rarely fails. Wesley is another case of dissapointment caused by a bad GM

My principal complaints are two...

1) Fritz... I liked him, i really liked him... but man, on my save, he suffered a lot of small injuries. He barely stands for a complete game. It was really a pain in the ass. The other right defenders are really really poor, so Fritz is really your only choice, because i play with long defenders and Sokratis is not really my guy in that position.

2) I play with Rosenberg/Hunt on the left. What´s wrong with these guys? They´re truly awful. Hunt is a decent assistant, but has no goal. And when I say no goal, i mean, he had 0 goals in 30 games in a year that Werder won the Championship. That was sad! And Rosenberg is really a mediocre player for the wings. I think he should play always as a striker, but the guy misses a lot of opportunities every match. A truly waste of talent and money.

In my 2º season, I bought...

Bosingwa (Chelsea) 0 € Right Defender

Jong Tae-Se (Bochum) 0 € Striker

Lazar Markovic (Partizan) 0 € (a real youngster talent) Right Winger

Adrian Gunino (Peñarol) 0 € Right Defender

Zakaria Labyad (PSV) 0 € Midfielder

Roman Zozulya (Dnipro) 0 € Left Winger

Sokratis (Genoa) 4 M € MUST BUY

Wallison (Cruzeiro) 0 M € Striker

I sold Avdic to Bochum (2 M) and Sandro Wagner to Schalke (2.5 M) and sacked Silvestre, Boenisch, Pizarro, Stallbaum, Rosenberg, Ballogum and Felix Kross on Loan to Feyernood

[Seule]

Yeah end of first season here and I'll throw in some screenies for flavor.

Finished 2nd in the league, 15 points behind Bayern, 2 losses to Dortmund as well as away losses to Mainz and Augsburg really stung. Beat Bayern in Munich, but lost to them at home and worse, in the Cup final, that said I consider the season a success because I managed to bring on a bunch of kids. I played the season using a 4-2-3-1 and whilst it didn't perform badly, it wasn't as smooth as I'd hoped. I'm hoping with 12 months under their belt the squad can push on and be really competitive in season 2, pushing for the title, cup, and progressing well in Europe.

My main transfer strategy was to get rid of Rosenberg and Arnautovic, which raised 18 mill, no one would take Hunt so thankfully someone wanted him to loan, same with Bargfrede, both had full transfer clauses but neither was activated, so both are returning to the club, Hunt I'm going to try and sell again, Bargfrede I might actually use this season as the middle of the park was my weak spot.

Vrsaljko and Pieters were bought in to be the fullbacks and both settled in well. Belhanda was meant to be my right winger, but spent most of the season hurt, which meant I wound up retraining Wesley as my right winger, and after he settled in, he was good, hopefully he'll push on in season 2. Jali was bought in because I wanted to see how he'd go, but I don't think I was using him correctly. Sanogo was a no-brainer, and I'm letting Pizarro go given how good Sanogo has proven to be. Toro was purchased for the future and he's grown over the season and will provide good cover now that I have European fixtures to deal with as well. Erick Torres was an indulgence when I realised that I needed an attacking midfielder badly, he did ok, not great, but hopefully he'll step it up a level this year.

As you can see, Marin and Sanogo were champions, with Naldo and Sokratis forming an awesome partnership at the back. Everything else was a bit up and down, Ekici started off poorly in central midfield but came on as the season went on, same with Wesley once I started training him as a winger. Jali and Ignjovski were meant to be my ball winning midfielders, but neither really jumped all over the opportunity. The fullbacks were solid, which was to be expected, but hopefully they'll be even better this year.

Going into the second season I've tied down Sokratis full time, and I have Carlos Fierro coming in, I want to train him as an AM because I think he will work better as an AM/Trequartista behind Sanogo. The rest of my money I spent on a few regens and Lazar Markovic. Lennart Thy ripped up the 3rd league, so he's being promoted to back up Sanogo. I kept Fritz and Borowski mostly out of sentimentality, but Vander, Pizarro, Silvestre and Prodl were all let go at seasons end, fans weren't too happy that I let Pizarro go, but he's not great tutor material and he isn't planning on staying in game when he retires.

[Diego_Werderdona]

Just started my game.

Will play a 4-2-3-1

Wiese

Fritz - Sokratis - Naldo (Wolf) - Schmitz

Bargfrede/Ignjovski - Ekici/Wesley

Arnautovic* - Borowski/Ekici - Marin

Pizarro/Sanogo

I have sold Rosenberg (6m Euro) and Wagner (5m), and have loaned out Hunt (for 600k plus option to buy). Bought Sanogo for 4.8m. Arnautovic has been offered out, Everton pulled out of a 16m deal but have a new one, so I am hoping to sell. I am lining up deals for either Marco Reus (negotiating around 15-17m) or Xherdan Shaqiri (approx 13m).

I am also looking at Niko Kranjcar on loan with an option to buy, as I will probably allow Borowski to leave at the end of the season and I like Ekici (or Welsey) as a DLP.

I should look for a new left back, but want to give Schmitz a chance for now.

Will post updates once the season starts. First season goals will be to gauge the squad and lower the wage bill by letting several contracts expire, then look for some deals and free transfers while spending on youth. Let's see how I go.

[Diego_Werderdona]

Kranjcar fell through, Tottenham decided they want to keep him now. They've also decided Arnautovic is worth 15m, so here's hoping that works out.

Still tossing up whether to get Reus or Shaqiri, any thoughts?

Also got Philipp Degen on trial, seems like a decent alternative at RB.

[Llew_Arshavin23]

I'd say Xherdan Shaqiri as I'm sure he will be cheaper than Marco Reus?

Although, saying that, Marco Reus is probably the more 'finished article'

[Seule]

Shaqiri can get expensive, but I used him FM11 and he was awesome then, I imagine he'd be worth it now, but yeah, Reus is more the finished article, and you wouldn't have to play against him then

[Diego_Werderdona]

Went with Shaqiri (who was cheaper but I still over-paid for him at 14m euro). He has been fantastic as inside forward, scoring and assisting.

Sanogo on the other hand, has been disappointing so far, having been suspended for more games than he has scored in (2-1 games suspended - scored) in half a season.

I'll post some screen shots later.

How is everyone else getting on? Anyone ket Arnautovic and had success with hi

?

[Seule]

Haven't had a lot of time to play this week, been studying for exams unfortunately, but I have had a few things happen pre-season 2. Everton offered 5 mill for Jali so I took it, Dortmund offered over 8 mill for Ignjovski, so I couldn't turn that down. Wesley is now my holding midfielder, and Tottenham offered Giovani dos Santos for 2.3 mill so he's my right winger. 6 games into the season I have 5 wins and 1 draw, sitting top of the league.

Picked up Montoya on a free, young right back from Barcelona, between him and Vrsaljko my right back is set for about 10 years now lol.

[Frenck]

Naldo declines quite a bit during his three month injury at the start of the game. Did any of you guys manage to recover most of the lost attribute points?

He's still an important player even if he drops a point in most attributes but I want to restore him back to former greatness.

[Seule]

Depends on what you call quite a bit, he lost some physical points during his injury for me, he's down a point in jumping, pace and agility from where he was at the start of the game, but he's up a point in some of the more technical areas for me, so I'd call it a push, he's still performing really well, so I don't think I have a lot to complain about.

[Maestroik]

Hi fellas, can anyone show a screenshot of Levent Aycicek a few seasons in? Thought of buying him. Cheers !

[Seule]

will post one later, I'm only coming up on the end of season 2, been busy with work and school, but I have a test game that I holidayed thru 4 seasons because I wanted to see how some players turned out when left to the AI managers, so I'll post them for comparison.

[Seule]

Aycicek 4 seasons in under pure CPU control, note, he has a high determination in this game.

About a season and a half in under player control, note the lower determination. Doesn't look like he's ever going to be lightning quick, but he's not a bad player, good wide player as long as you don't need them with a really high pace.

[Seule]

Ok second season finally finished, managed to do the league/cup double and get knocked out of the CL in the semis, anyone else still playing a werder save?

[Timbo83]

Hey... started my Werder save a Day ago...

First of all as a Werder Fan i started to clean my squad to make place for improvement. (Prices are in €uro)

Out:

Borowski -> AC Milan 4.5 Mio

Marin -> Valencia 8.75 Mio

Wagner -> Sporting Lisboa 2.7 Mio

Rosenberg -> Anschi 6 Mio

Fritz -> Wolfsburg 4.5 Mio

In:

Willian -> Shaktar AMC 9 Mio

Henriksen -> Rosenborg AMC 5.5 Mio

Andersen -> Aalborg AMC 1 Mio

Tshabalala -> Kaizer Chiefs AMC 0.4 Mio

Y. Sanogo -> Auxerre Forward 3.3 Mio

Douglas -> Goias RB 2.5 Mio

Vrsaljko -> Dinamo Zagreb RB 3.5 Mio

Ostrzolek -> Bochum LB 2.3 Mio

At the moment i'm on the 3rd Day of league and can't decide which formation im goin to use -.- At the moment im on 4-1-1-3-1:

--------------Pizarro---------------

-----Willian-Henriksen-Arnautovic---

---------------Ekici----------------

-------------Ignjovski--------------

Schmitz--Naldo--Sokrates---Vrsaljko

--------------Wiese----------------

--------------Sanogo--------------

---Tshabalala-Andersen-Trinks------

--------------Wesley--------------

-------------Bargfrede-------------

Ostrzolek---Wolf----Prödl---Douglas

--------------Mielitz---------------

But at the moment im not Happy with shown performances (maybe im to eager )... already got a 2-0 win (home) against Augsburg and a 2-0 loss (away) at Schalke. I'll try not to switch to early the System and give them the chance to improve. Against big Teams away i think i switch to:

--------------Pizarro---------------

-----------Willian-Henriksen--------

---------------Ekici----------------

-------Ignjovski--Wesley------------

Schmitz--Naldo--Sokrates---Vrsaljko

--------------Wiese----------------

I hope my english is not too bad... and for my first reply in here enough.

Have fun playing the one and only Team in Germany :applause:

[Seule]

Your english is fine With as many changes as you've made it make take a bit to gel, but once you get in the swing of things that looks like a pretty attacking team. I'm about to start my third season, going to try and run a 3-5-2 this season, managed to sell ekici/vrsaljko/pieters all for good profit and bring in a few new faces so I'll be starting the season with a team that looks like this :

-----Sanogo---Paloschi-----

-----------Fierro-----------

Marin------------dos Santos

----Vukojevic--Defour------

A.Sandro---Naldo---Sokratis

----------Wiese------------

Will be interested to see how it goes, went this way mostly because my scouts seem to think that there isn't a good defender left on the face of the planet.

[Seule]

Just lost Sokratis to an 18 million pound bid from Real Madrid Such is life.

[grande92]

Great guide!

I've just started my 2nd season with Werder Bremen.

Finished the 1st season in 4th place; without ever impressing and with quite a great distance up to number 3 (Köln). Bayern finished comfortably 1st in the table, 10 points or so ahead of Leverkusen.

Didn't bring any new players in, in the 1st season, except for signing Sokratis permanently. I sold Rosenberg (1.2 mio Euro -> Valencia) and loaned out Wolf in the january window.

In the summer window before the 2nd season i reshuffled things quite a bit - more than i usually like to do, as i feel continuity is always better.

In:

Samed Yesil, Free transfer

Kolbeinn Sigurdsson, 5.25 mio Euro

Marcos Rojo, 3.8 mio Euro

Ibrahim Afellay, 6.75 mio Euro

Carlos Fierro, 1.6 mio Euro

Tommy Oar, 1.9 mio Euro

Out (notable):

All on a free transfer (contract expiry):

Mikael Silvestre

Tim Borowski

Claudio Pizarro

Sebastian Boenisch

Florian Trinks

Sold:

Lennart Thy, 2.9 mio Euro -> Frankfurt

Andreas Wolf, 975K Euro -> Köln

Sandro Wagner, 2.8 mio Euro -> Frankfurt

This has left my team looking something like this:

Tim Wiese

Clemens Fritz/Wesley-Sokratis-Naldo-Marcos Rojo

Mehmet Ekici-Aleksander Ignjovski

Marko Arnautovic-Ibrahim Afellay-Marko Marin

Kolbeinn Sigurdsson

Bench: Sebastien Mielitz, Sebastien Prödl, Lukas Schmitz, Phillip Bargfrede, Tommy Oar, Wesley/Fritz, Carlos Fierro, Aaron Hunt

These are the b-players pressing for a spot: Levent Aycicek, Alexander Hahn, Felix Kroos, Samed Yesil, Clement Schoppenhauer

In the 1st season, our standout performers were Mehmet Ekici, Naldo, Marin. I've really come to like alot of the players. Wiese, Sokratis, Ignjovski, Bargfrede, Wesley are all personal favourites of mine.

[Seule]

I love Wiese, he's just a beast as a goalkeeper, I am actually about to go and restart as Werder because I have this crazy notion that Bargfrede would make an awesome Right Back, and I want to play through a season with Arnautovic since I sold him straight off the bat first time through. That and Sanogo is up to 24 goals in 15 matches in season three, it's just feeling a little TOO easy with him up front.

BTW any thoughts on Lukas Schmitz, I keep thinking he's mediocre, but when I play him as either left-back or left wing, he does really well for me, first season rating of 7.1 in 22 games, second season rating of 7.16 in 19 games. Don't think he'd ever be first choice, but he's been handy to have around when Marin etc have been hurt.

[Seule]

I love Wiese, he's just a beast as a goalkeeper, I am actually about to go and restart as Werder because I have this crazy notion that Bargfrede would make an awesome Right Back, and I want to play through a season with Arnautovic since I sold him straight off the bat first time through. That and Sanogo is up to 24 goals in 15 matches in season three, it's just feeling a little TOO easy with him up front.

BTW any thoughts on Lukas Schmitz, I keep thinking he's mediocre, but when I play him as either left-back or left wing, he does really well for me, first season rating of 7.1 in 22 games, second season rating of 7.16 in 19 games. Don't think he'd ever be first choice, but he's been handy to have around when Marin etc have been hurt.

[grande92]

I'm halfway through season number two, and this is my team:

I am currently 5th in the league; with too great a distance up to the top 2 (Leverkusen, FC Bayern) to seriously be a threat. As such, my aim remains a top 4 position, and a CL spot.

In the Champions League, i was lucky to draw FC Porto, Besiktas and AZ, and i easily qualified in 2nd spot, losing twice to Porto, drawing away v Besiktas and winning the rest. Neither Besiktas nor AZ won a single game. I've drawn Manchester City in the 1/8 finals.

In terms of transfers, my number 1 priority right now is a right back, which would mean i could offload Fritz, who is making quite big wages in comparison to his value for the team. For this, i have intensively followed a number of prospects, from which the list has been narrowed down to: Timothy Chandler, Allan Nyom (my favourite at the moment), Lorenzo De Silvestri, Atsudo Uchida, Tony Jantschke, Phillipe Koch and Paulo Ferrari. Davide Santon and Sime Vrsaljko were also prospects, but deemed too expensive. That is all i plan to do in the winter; it was a consideration for me to offload Aaron Hunt (and his massive wages) and replace him with Aycicek or Predrag Stevanovic from the 2nd team; but Stevanovic's injury has put a stop to that idea.

I place great emphasis on keeping my reserve team in the 3rd division, although they are struggling massively at the moment. It was my intention and original tactic to have them use ssame tactic as the 1st team; but a lack of results has forced me to change this philosophy and assign Massimo Bonini to the reserve team - it is my hope and belief than he can rescue them from relegation.

In terms of Lukas Schmits; he's been very solid and is certainly not a player i am looking to offload. He is versatile, consistent, hard-working, quick, persistent, focused. Though his technique is below average, i really like him as an utility-player.

When Fritz is offloaded, i will have to find a new captain. The obvious answer would be to make our vice-captain, Tim Wiese, captain, but names like Sokratis and Afellay also seem like solid leaders.

[Seule]

Sokratis works well as Captain, the advantage with Wiese is, he's basically an automatic choice every game, you never really need to rest him. Depending on your options, there's always the possibility of retraining Ignjovski/Bargfrede as a right back, in my game, Dortmund offered me a stupid amount for Ignjovski at the end of the first season and then retrained him as a right back, I've recently started a second Werder save to play around with tactics and stuff and Bargfrede actually functions well as a full back, of course this would mean replacing them in your midfield set up, but it's an option.

[Seule]

Going to do an update over the next few days and will post it in one of the reserved posts when I do, but a quick run down of what's changed in the patch :

Obviously Wolf is out and Affolter and Junuzovic are in. Borowski has been added to the injury list, same as real life.

As far as changes to the current crop of players :

Marin/Arnautovic have had minor decreases in stats.

Ekici has had some small changes to his physical stats.

Wesley has had a few downgrades, one of his hidden stats has had a big change, but that much is well known from RL.

There have been various changes to a number of youngsters, Hartherz and Trybull have been changed a little bit, based on first half of the year performances.

Bargfrede is up, mostly in his passing, composure and concentration.

Pizarro has had a large boost to his concentration.

Anyways, that's just a quick rundown, when I have more time I'll do a proper update.

[Tricky-Jigsaw]

Really useful guide.

Great stuff.

[WillyBroadband]

Wow, this is probably the best team guide I've seen for FM12, nice one.

Always like Werder Bremen. I apprehensively sold Arnautovic as even in pre-season I could tell he'd be more hassle than he's worth so I sold him to Bayern for £8 mil and they're moaning about him already!

Unfortunately lost out to Benfica for Willian though.

[WillyBroadband]

PS. I can't seem to get rid of Aaron Hunt though, how has everyone managed it? Stuttgart offered me a rubbish loan offer for him that they wouldn't negotiate.

[Lost Boy]

PS. I can't seem to get rid of Aaron Hunt though, how has everyone managed it? Stuttgart offered me a rubbish loan offer for him that they wouldn't negotiate.

I'm finding it difficult to offload Hunt too. Put him on the transfer list in the summer, had a few loan offers for him but he reject all of them. Now in January of the first season, nobody coming in for him. Offered him out to teams but nobody wants him. I'll try again in the summer to offload him.

Like I said, currently in January and just received an offer for Arnautovic (FC Porto) for £12.5mil (£5mil up front). He's only a squad player for me so I'm taking the money. Noticed Marco Reus has a £15mil release clause

[Seule]

I found with hunt it's difficult to offload him because his high wages are generally unpayable by most teams in Germany, I have managed to get him to go out on loan, if for no other reason that to have someone else paying those wages instead of me. Generally by the time his contract has run up, at least in my experience, he's had enough injuries to make him not worth the money to keep around. I haven't ever managed to get a good amount of money for him, unfortunately in my teams he usually winds up as a bit part player who sits on the bench and only plays sporadically, which doesn't help his value as a saleable asset.

[Seule]

So anyone looking ahead to FM13, I know its a long way off, but Werder should present a nice challenge. Finished the season in 9th in Germany, too many injuries just shattered any chance the team had of pushing for Europe, but already announced are the following player moves :

Marko Marin is going to Chelsea

Wesley has already moved back to Brazil (and sadly also had a season-ending injury already)

Tim Wiese will be moving to Hoffenheim

Markus Rosenborg's contract will not be renewed

Tim Borowski is leaving the club

Claudio Pizarro is leaving the club

Mikael Silvestre is leaving the club

Lennart Thy is leaving the club

On the flipside, Sokratis has completed a permanent move.

So if you took them out of the current FM squad, it would be looking pretty bare, might present a nice challenge in FM13

[Lost Boy]

With the amount of outgoings it will be interesting to see who they bring in during the summer. I'll be watching with interest. Hopefully they can bring in some good quality players, otherwise we'll have to do it in FM13

There are similarities with my save and Werder in real life. Most of the players mentioned above are also being let go on my save.

I'm still undecided what to do with Marin. He's not really impressed me in the game. I've been playing him AML as either winger or inside forward. How do you guys play him? and have you had any success with him?

[Seule]

I read a quote on marin the other day from a chelsea fan that said "he gets assists not because he's any great creator, but because he dribbled at defenses sooo much, something was bound to fall eventually." I've had really good success with him as a left winger in a 4-2-3-1 setup just literally having him cut inside and run with the ball often, cutting to the byline before attempting crosses. It usually means he winds up dribbling right to the byline and most of the way into the 18yd box before doing anything. But I also have my team set up to make sure there's a lot of room for him to maneuvre.

I've tried using him as a trequartista and as an AMC with no real success, he's pretty much a one trick pony, he runs at defences, he's not a great crosser, finisher or creator, but he can get past just about anyone, and once you get past the back 4, anything can happen.