Pizarro billed as Bremen's guiding star

Coach Thomas Schaaf hopes Claudio Pizarro's presence can "motivate and guide" Werder Bremen after the Peru forward underlined his value last night by scoring his third goal since rejoining the club on loan from Chelsea FC.

On target
The 29-year-old struck as Bremen won 2-1 at FC Erzgebirge Aue in the German Cup second round, having previously scored in a 3-2 Bundesliga loss at VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach and then Saturday's 5-2 away-day demolition of FC Bayern München – the club Pizarro represented for six seasons after leaving Bremen in 2001. The 29-year-old was Schaaf's only major summer signing, and the coach believes he has an enormous amount to offer. "Claudio is a very important player for us, especially for the UEFA Champions League," he told uefa.com. "He is a player with vast experience."

Guiding star
Pizarro hit 29 goals in 56 league games for Bremen in his preceding two-season spell at the Weserstadion, having joined from Club Alianza Lima in 1999. "Bremen were his first club in Europe and then he went on his way," said Schaaf. "He is able to motivate and guide other players, inspiring them with his effort and the qualities he has, and that makes him a very important acquisition for us." The striker, however, was unable to inspire Bremen when they drew a blank in their UEFA Champions League Group B opener at home to Anorthosis Famagusta FC last week – a surprising 0-0 draw given Werder's attacking style. 

Defensive concerns
When they visit FC Internazionale Milano on 1 October, Schaaf will want his side to show they can defend as well as press forward, something that has not always been a strong point. The 47-year-old said: "It's always a question of balance – how do you harness the attacking power that we have, and that we are renowned for, with the right defensive set-up? We have to work hard on this balance. It's clear again that we have conceded goals in our early Bundesliga matches that we shouldn't have conceded. This will be the focus of our work."