Too clever by Schaaf

By Alois Urban

Werder Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf looked to an attacking lineup in the UEFA Champions League Group G match against Valencia CF and was rewarded with a 2-1 victory against the Spanish champions.

Formation change
Last season Bremen dominated the Bundesliga with a 4-4-2 system, winning both the league title and the German Cup. However, after a 2-0 defeat at FC Internazionale Milano on Matchday 1, Schaaf chose to change his double-winning tactics and fielded a positive 4-3-3 formation at home to Valencia.

Changes pay off
That three-pronged strike force of Miroslav Klose, Nelson Valdez and Ivan Klasnic gained a fourth forward after Valencia's Carlos Marchena was sent off in the 55th minute - Schaaf soon replacing defender Christian Schulz with Greek international Angelos Charisteas.

Risky business
It was a risky ploy against a team which, up until then, had not lost a game this season, but having conceded a goal after 20 minutes, Schaaf had little option but to stay on the offensive. Valencia duly buckled, with Klose and Charisteas scoring on 60 and 84 minutes, and the three points were Bremen's.

Attacking strength
"We knew all about Valencia's strength going forward and therefore we wanted to keep them as far away from our goal as possible," explained Schaaf after the win at the Weserstadion. "Basically the idea was to occupy them at the back and stop them looking to their normal attacking approach."

Early blow
The concession of a second-minute goal was not the ideal start for Bremen, and it took them a while to recover from that setback, but by half-time they were in the ascendant. Klose was giving Amedeo Carboni a hard time down the right, with Klasnic and Valdez exerting pressure elsewhere.

Dogged defending
Nonetheless, Valencia's defence managed to hold firm, and it took an upsurge in pace from the German champions in the second half to turn the tide against Claudio Ranieri's team. While they did their best to hold on, 36,000 supporters at the Weserstadion could see that the Spanish champions were rocking.

Red card
Marchena's dismissal and the arrival of Charisteas prompted Valencia's eventual collapse. Klose equalised within five minutes of the red card. "We made the mistake of waiting for our chances on the break and when we fell behind with only ten players on the pitch, it was hard to come back," admitted Ranieri.

No regrets
Schaaf can have no such regrets. While some might argue that his change of tack had something to do with his side conceding so early in the tie, his maintenance of an all-out attacking formation helped tip the game in Bremen's favour.

Vital victory
Had Bremen lost at home, it would have been a second consecutive defeat, and in a group also containing RSC Anderlecht, that could easily have meant an end to their hopes of progress. As it is, they live to fight again on Matchday 3.

All or nothing
"If you want to achieve anything in the Champions League, then you have to win your home matches," said Klasnic. "Therefore you have to be prepared to take risks." It is a sentiment that his coach would doubtless agree with.