Four games into his interim tenure as Werder Bremen head coach, the similarities between Florian Kohfeldt and his predecessor Alexander Nouri are clear to see. The real difference maker though, is Max Kruse.
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With Borussia Dortmund in ‘crisis mode' and Peter Bosz imploding like a bad Looney Tunes ACME Co. rocket, it would be easy to overlook not just how impressive Werder Bremen's 2-1 win over BVB was, but also its implication in their bid to turn their form around for a second season running.
It was Werder youth coach Nouri who took over at the helm when Kohfeldt was let go by the club as part of Viktor Skripnik's coaching set-up back in September 2016. Bremen went on to pick up seven points from a possible 12 in Nouri's first four games. Kohfeldt has gone one better as the 2-0 defeat to Leipzig on Matchday 13 remains the only blemish on an otherwise perfect record, which now includes the scalp of Dortmund.
While Kohfeldt is being given until the winter break to prove himself, it took Nouri just three games to lock down the head coaching role on a full-time basis. Bremen's form was hit-and-miss at the start at the start of his tenure, but a run of 11 games without defeat ultimately saw Bremen transform from relegation candidates to top six contenders.
This season they've been nowhere near as irresistible going forward, but like in the previous campaign, it is Max Kruse making all the difference. The real question is whether they can sustain a similar transformation this time around.
It comes as no surprise that the aforementioned 11-game unbeaten streak coincided with a purple patch that saw Kruse have a hand in 16 goals – nine scored, seven set-up – in the final nine games of the season.
Werder didn't quite crack the European qualification spots, but their form lent itself to pre-season expectations that revolved around pushing for a top-half-of-the-table finish.
After a torrid start to the current campaign Bremen's problems were compounded by, but not solely inspired by, Kruse's goal drought. Much like life under Nouri at the start, a change in personnel appears to have breathed new life into Bremen and their star striker.
Not only has Kruse had a hand in seven goals in his last four games, those are the only seven goals Bremen have scored in that timespan. The 29-year-old didn't get his name on the scoresheet against Dortmund, instead he played the decisive passes that saw Maximilian Eggestein and Theodor Gebre Selassie fire the Green-Whites to victory.
Lest we forget, Kruse has an added source of motivation knowing that he hasn't completely dropped off the national team radar as FIFA's summer showpiece looms large on the horizon. Should he be able to maintain this type of form, whilst steering clear of injuries, Joachim Löw will be hard pressed to turn a blind eye.
For the time being though, there's no getting away from the fact that the Reinbek-native's form will be a critical factor in Bremen surviving this season, irrespective of whether the club stick by Kohfeldt or are tempted by the services of someone like Peter Stöger.
While we've seen him produce mesmerizing moments in fits and spurts, consistency will be the key to both Werder and Kruse reaching their targets come the campaign's conclusion.
Bundesliga Matchday 15 roundup
Leverkusen, Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen pick up bigs wins, while Gladbach and Schalke share the spoils. All you need to know from Matchday 15.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/D. Mouhtaropoulos
Snow day
Staff at Hannover's HDI Arena clear the mounting snow during Hannover's 2-0 win over Hoffenheim. Unlike in Cologne, where kick off was delayed by 30 minutes, the game was able to get underway on time but the conditions were treacherous. But that didn't affect Hannover, who got another win under their belts courtesy of second half goals by Niclas Fuellkrug and Martin Harnik.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/S. Franklin
Comeback kings
The comeback starts here. Nils Petersen's thunderous volley offered Freiburg little more than a glimmer of hope at 3-1, but it proved the catalyst to the comeback of the season. Cologne keeper Timo Horn was helpless as the ball rifled in at his near post and into the roof of the net, causing a snowstorm in his goal. Cologne would go on to concede three more and lose 4-3 after leading 3-0.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/D. Mouhtaropoulos
Heated Herrlich
Bayer Leverkusen coach Heiko Herrlich had to watch the final minutes of his side's impressive win at Stuttgart from the back of the technical area. He was sent from the touchline after losing his cool, but his team kept theirs as a goal in each half gave them a big away win to move them, at least temporarily, into the top four. Leverkusen remain unbeaten in the league since September.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/A. Grimm
Bremen down Dortmund
Goals from Maximilian Eggestein and Theodor Gebre Selassie (r.) saw Werder Bremen extend Borussia Dortmund's winless streak to nine games in all competitions. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's 12th goal of the season levelled the scores momentarily, but it wasn't enough to prevent BVB from slipping out of the top six in the Bundesliga.
Image: Reuters/T. Schmuelgen
Vidal strikes again
Arturo Vidal has found his goalscoring boots in recent weeks as his goal against Eintracht Frankfurt saw Bayern move eight points clear of Leipzig in second place. The Chilean has now scored in each of his last four Bundesliga outings, which meant that few fans even mentioned Robert Lewandowski being benched for the trip to Frankfurt.
Image: Reuters/R. Orlowski
Leipzig lapses prove costly
Leipzig are still unbeaten this season after European encounters (four wins, two draws), but will have been disappointed to twice throw the lead away in a 2-2 draw with Mainz. The result sees them slip further adrift of Bayern at the top, while ensuring Mainz kept their heads above water in the relegation battle.
Image: Imago/Opokupix
A forgettable stalemate
For the second weekend running Hamburg were involved in a goalless draw, but unlike the stalemate in Freiburg last Friday, it was Hamburg who could bemoan the result against Wolfsburg, who had just two shots on goal in the entire game. The Red Shorts peppered Koen Casteels' goal, but failed to find a breakthrough and remain precariously positioned above the drop zone.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Heimken
Vestergaard saves Schalke?
Jannik Vestergaard's own goal just past the hour mark cancelled out Christoph Kramer's header and saw Schalke snatch a point off of Gladbach on foreign soil to close out the play on Saturday. The point wasn't enough for either side to climb above Leipzig, but both remain in the top four as a result.
Image: Imago/T. Rehbein
Cauiby celebrates
Augsburg forward Caiuby celebrates his 74th minute strike which broke the deadlock in a dire game against Hertha Berlin. It looked like the matchwinner and enough to send Augsburg fourth, but the hosts let the lead slip in the 91st minute. Augsburg will have another chance to crack the top four when they travel to third-placed Schalke on Wednesday.