Werder Bremen

During the 2009-10 Bundesliga season, Thomas Schaaf found himself with three supremely talented attacking midfielders, Mesut Ozil, Aaron Hunt and recently signed winger Marko Marin.

Marko Marin was at that moment probably the most hyped up players amongst the three and with good reason some might say.  His talent was being talked about much before his move to Bremen.  He was a surprise selection in Joachim Low's preliminary squad for Euro 2008, when Marin was just 19.  After playing two warm-up matches prior to the final selection, he was then deemed a surprise omission from the squad taken to the tournament.

The 2009-10 season was one of success and excitement for Bremen as, after coming a disappointing 10th in the previous season, they reached the third spot in the Bundesliga table and the DFB Pokal final. 

The excitement was for what the future was to hold for the young Bremen side, especially for the trio of Hunt, Ozil and Marin, who together combined for fantastic statistics of 23 goals and 32 assists during the Bundesliga season.  Marin especially was in unstoppable form in the second half of the season, where he had to carry Bremen much of way since the form of Ozil and Hunt had drained after the winter break.  Prophecy's were made and labels of 'New Messi' were given.  All in all, Marin was on his way to the top.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObMdajuynLU

The key to the success of the trio was the formation Thomas Schaaf had input.

Different from his customary 4-1-2-1-2 formation used for his previous successful squads, Schaaf saw the talent of all three players when played in their favoured positions and went forward with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Marin and Hunt on opposite wings while Ozil played behind the lone striker with some rotation amongst the three, showing that Marin had a little versatility to play across the front three. 

All three players were irreplaceable so when it was announced that Ozil would be leaving Bremen, much was discussed as to who would fill the central playmaker position.

The answer seemed to come from either the new signing Marko Arnautovic or Aaron Hunt.  Needless to say, neither of them worked in that role. 

The early part of the season proved chaotic for Thomas Schaaf as his tactical plans all went undone with a combination of inconsistent performances from players and the horrific amount of defensive injuries.  There never seemed to be a fixed formation used throughout the opening few months, with rotation between the 4-2-3-1 from last season and Schaaf's favoured 4-1-2-1-2 formation being common. 

All of that proved very detrimental to Marko Marin's performances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMs6dhMn0eE

While still playing in his favoured left wing position, Marin was now expected to fill the playmaking role that Ozil had left behind, something that Marin wasn't and frankly never was capable off.  He was strictly a winger who attacked full backs and tied them into knots. 

Without a proper passer in the middle of the part, Marin was forced to move much deeper in order to get possession of the ball and from there was often crowed out from being able to do anything productive.

With Marin's failings in the winger position and the general lack of form of the team, Schaaf slowly moved away from the 4-2-3-1 formation.  He made a conscience decision in the 2nd half of the season to adopt the diamond shaped 4-1-2-1-2, which had no use for a winger.  Marin was therefore dropped and confined to a few minutes for the first few months during which the formation was adopted.

With Bremen's form not getting much better (one win, three draws and three defeats), Schaaf decided to try and play Marin at the tip of the diamond.  After a match-winning performance off the bench against Freiburg with a goal and assist, Bremen's first win in six matches, Marin was the given a start in the Bremen's next away match against Nurenberg, also a win.

That sparked an impressive end of season for Bremen which ultimately took them into 13th place after flirting with relegation for much of the campaign. 

Marin started the final eight matches of the season at the tip of the diamond, contributing three assists to Bremen's three wins and three draws. While his performances were inconsistent, there had always been signs that Marin was getting more used to the role and returning to his form of old.

Even though he was being played as a central playmaker by position, Marin was given the freedom to roam the final third from left to right in order to find space to attack.  As the video of his performance against Frankfurt shows, Marin was seen regularly along the wings as much as he was in the center.  His creativity allows him to find space but what was usually missing was the final pass, which brought about his inconsistency, something which previous Bremen playmakers like Diego, Micoud and Ozil had in abundance. 

The post season saw a lot of new arrivals, most important of which was the signing of Bayern Munich's Mehmet Ekici, a bona fide attacking playmaker to play at the top of the 4-1-2-1-2 formation. 

But after Ekici was injured for much of the preseason, Marko Marin started off once again as the head playmaker.  He showed impressive form, especially in the last match against Freiburg where Marin contributed with three assists.

While still having his ability to dribble the ball at will, Marin is now also contributing to the build up of the play.  When there is a better option available, he is playing shorter passes more often rather then directly dribbling at his opponent.  A good sign for the future if he is to continue to play in that position.

The graph of his passing performance against Freiburg shows the positions where Marin was usually finding the ball.  Not only does it again show the freedom Marin is being given in the final third but also his growing eagerness to pass the ball.  Out of the 61 touches Marin had in the game, he performed 38 passes with an 84% success rate, seven of which created chances.  A superb contribution overall and hopefully a sign of things to come.     

There was much talk of Marin moving away from Bremen but Schaaf and Marin himself consistently said that there were no plans to move away from Bremen. 

That could only mean that both the coach and the player believe in the new role being set out for Marin and that the potential is there for Marin to fulfill his potential and become a World Class player, albeit in a position completely different to one he was set out for.  

Good evening and welcome to my live blog for tonight's match, arguably Tottenham Hotspur's biggest in their 128-year footballing history.

A win sees them qualify from and possibly top Group A—no easy feat considering that they have had to face the European Champions and the Dutch title holders.

A loss or draw will see them travel to Holland to face FC Twente needing at least a draw just to progress.

Tonight, Tottenham host Werder Bremen at White Hart Lane for a 19:45 kickoff (GMT).

In the reverse match on 14 September, the London club's first ever Champions League match, Spurs raced into an early two-goal lead thanks to an own goal and a header from Peter Crouch (pictured). However, the team wilted under pressure after the interval and goals from Marko Marin and Hugo Almeida either side of the break meant Spurs had to settle for a 2-2 draw.

Since then, the clubs have taken different directions: Spurs have won two in a row in the league and sit seventh, while Bremen have leaked goals at an alarming rate and have lost five of their last six league matches.

The bookies have made the home team overwhelming favourites, despite their uninspiring home form in the league. But beware a German team which boasts the quality of midfield playmaker Marko Marin, the best player on the pitch when the two sides last met.

Tottenham Hotspur's debut in the Champions League was tinged with bittersweet what ifs as Harry Redknapp's team claimed a deserved point with a 2-2 draw at the Weserstadion against Werder Bremen.

Spurs raced into an early two-goal lead after Finnish international Petri Pasenan diverted Gareth Bale's driven cross into his own net as Peter Crouch was poised to pounce on the 10-minute mark, before Crouch added the second following a sublime cross from Rafael van der Vaart.

It was all that Spurs deserved as they dictated the tempo of the match in every area of the pitch. Redknapp chose to go with a 4-4-2 type formation with van der Vaart in a free role as Crouch's partner as Robbie Keane's and Roman Pavlyuchenko geared up for a lot of time being spent on the bench.

The newly-signed Dutchman, for his part, was brilliant yet again. Tottenham's new No. 11, signed from Real Madrid for £8 million on transfer deadline day, made his debut against West Brom at the Hawthorns on Saturday and showed frequent flashes of genius as he carved open Roberto Di Matteo's side time after time.

Such was his good form, despite an obvious lack of match fitness, that Redknapp threw him right in at the deep end tonight as Spurs made their bow in Europe's premier cup competition.

Boasting a statistic from his Real Madrid days that showed he created a goal every 31 minutes when on the pitch, Spurs only had to wait 18 seconds until he controlled Tom Huddlestone's phenomenal volleyed pass before flighting in a perfect cross for Crouch to head back across goal with Tim Wiese stranded as a spectator on the line.

With Bale and Lennon dominating the flanks, and with Huddlestone and surprise inclusion Jermaine Jenas controlling midfield, the first 45 minutes were a perfect example of a perfect game plan.

However, as any Spurs fan will testify, even at 2-0 the game is never safe.

Ledley King was caught badly out of position as the impressive Wesley's cross was met by Hugo Almeida, who headed home on the stroke of half time to give Werder something to play for in the second half.

The 2-1 scoreline became 2-2 just four minutes into the new period as Thomas Schaff's tactics and decisiveness brought his team back into the match.

The ex-Werder Bremen player, now turned manager, changed the whole setup of his side in the 37th minute when he took off the ineffective Bargfrede for Aaron Hunt and within minutes Die Grun Wiessen were competing in midfield and giving Spurs something to think about.

The most important element of the tactical switch was to give the prodigious Marko Marin more space to move into. The freedom the prodigious 21-year-old was afforded by this new formation was exactly the platform he needed to shine and for the next 45 minutes he produced wing wizardry that even the great Stanley Matthews would approve of.

All it took was a slight drop of a shoulder or a deft flick and Vedran Corluka was chasing shadows. If it was fitting that van der Vaart provided the assist for Crouch in the first half then it was more than apt that Marin bagged the equalizer with a fierce drive from the edge of the box that beat Carlo Cudicini on his near post. A cardinal error by the Spurs stand in 'keeper.

From there, both sides had enough chances to grab the lead, and only for good 'keeping and profligate finishing the game could have finished 4-4.

In the end a 2-2 draw was probably about right for this highly entertaining game. Werder will be the happier after fighting back from 2-0 down although Schaff is sure to have some stern words with his midfield and defence tomorrow morning after Spurs opened them up with ease throughout.

While Harry Redknapp may have taken a point gladly before the game he cannot but help feel bitterly disappointed with the way his side caved in and grabbed a draw in the face of victory.

The Champions League will provide a tough learning curve for both of these entertaining sides and given the attacking resources they have at their disposal and Rafael Benitez's defensive habits it would not come as the biggest shock in the world to see Werder and Spurs progress at the detriment of the current European champions.

This article was previously featured on Tiger Beer Football, where Willie Gannon is the featured Blogger, over 18s only.

These are the thoughts of some people, for a particularly vociferous reflection see here.

Now, there are some interesting arguments here regarding Ozil and his transfer to Real, but the article overlooks or underplays some elements which I believe to be key.

Werder Bremen are not in debt, this is true, but they do not have the same fabulous financial resources as other clubs—especially in the Champions League—and 15 or so million is a considerable amount of money.

Add to this the fact that losing Ozil on a free would be fairly catastrophic unless he had singlehandedly guided Bremen deep into the Champions League, something that their sometimes porous defence would have made difficult, and the deal begins to make sense.

The point made about Bremen being "too small" for a big player is an unfair one to use. Ozil was not going to sign a new contract so making a profit from him is an advantage to Bremen (remember he only cost Bremen around 4 million Euros). Football is unfortunately a business and as such the correct business decision was made.

As football fans, I confess we do not always laud good business for footballing sacrifices, but in this case the case for Ozil's replacement is somewhat heartening for those fans, such as myself, who enjoy Bremen's gung-ho attacking style.

The money received for Ozil does not need to go on his replacement. Bremen's fantastic youth system has been churning out extremely promising players. With the admittedly great advantage of hindsight over the article's writer, we can see that Aaron Hunt is shaping up to be a rather talented No. 10 himself, if his performances against Sampdoria are anything to go by.

Then there is Marko Marin. Though a tricky winger by choice he is capable of playing a striking role, and also in the hole behind the strikers. He still has a lot of work to do to become the finished product, but with Ozil's departure he might see more playing time and this can only accelerate his advancement. 

Phillip Bargfrede is another promising and versatile midfielder who is receiving more and more game time, and Felix Kroos, brother of Toni Kroos, should not be discounted as he is shaping up to follow in his brother's footsteps.

If, as the Sampdoria game indicated, Bremen switch from 4-2-3-1 to a 4-1-2-1-2 diamond formation, it also follows that both Claude Pizzaro and Hugo Almedia will play alongside each other more regularly, and as they have an excellent partnership which only saw limited time in recent seasons this can only be good for Werder's goal output.

To conclude, I utterly reject that Werder Bremen committed footballing suicide with the sale of Ozil. From a business perspective, it was absolutely the right thing to do. From a purely footballing perspective, we can conclude that the famous German youth system graduates will grasp this chance with both hands and make Oezil's shirt number and position their own.

They are admittedly large shoes to fill, but the sheer amount of promising young German attackers at Bremen make his eventual replacement all but a certainty.   

Aaron Hunt has started the season in an impressing fashion, bagging five goals in his last six games. The son of a German father and English mother, he was even considered by Capello to be a potential reinforcement for the English national side.

Whilst a call up for the Three Lions is out of the question after Hunt declared his willingness to represent Die Mannschaft (the German national side) instead, a transfer to the English Premiership is still on the cards. Hunt will be out of contract after the summer and Liverpool, Man Utd, and Chelsea have already declared an interest in the versatile player.

When a player has the Premiership’s finest gunning for his services, as well as national team manager Fabio Capello, you can be darn sure Aaron Hunt can be an asset to the Premiership and could have been an asset to the national team. The question I wish to answer for you is why. Why can Aaron Hunt be a credit to the Premiership and the national team?

Kampfgeist

First of all, there’s the mental side of things to consider. The English national side has always been known for its tendency to fight hard, but eventually just fall short in a tragically heroic fashion. Some call it losing their nerves, others attribute this to mental issues, but the fact remains some teams, like for example Germany and Italy, rarely suffer from this problem.

As Gary Lineker aptly phrased it once, “Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win.” The Germans just tend to keep going until the final whistle and their perseverance often pays off, as the team has the uncanny ability to snatch wins in the dying seconds of a game.

Being half German and having played in the Bundesliga for most of his career, Hunt shares this perseverance and combative spirit the Germans call “Kampfgeist”, which roughly translates as fighting spirit of combative spirit.

This season alone, Hunt has scored a few decisive goals in the last fifteen minutes of the game, most notably a brace against Nuernberg, which saw his club Werder Bremen come-back to 2-2 after being 2-0 down for the majority of the match.

The English national side could have used a player like Hunt, who just keeps going and has the tendency to be just in the right spot, even in the final seconds of a game. The same applies to any of the Premiership clubs I mentioned, they can all use a player who just keeps going and tends to score decisive goals.

Versatility

Next up, there’s the issue of which positions Hunt can play, as the 23-year-old is quite a versatile player. He has played in a multitude of positions over the past few seasons at Werder Bremen, and he has done so quite well. His performances upfront, in the centre of midfield and down the left flank as a winger have been good enough to get Capello interested anyway.

Hunt is naturally left footed, which could add more depth to the squad, in the process solving  a recurring problem that has plagued the English national side for some time, namely its left flank. Joe Cole has been inconsistent in his performances when he has played. Steven Gerrard, whilst playing well on the left flank, is not quite as  good as he is for Liverpool and is probably better suited for a more central role due to being a right footed player.

Regarding a transfer to the Premiership, any team can use a utility player like Hunt, who is capable of playing well in three different positions. Man Utd for example could use someone to cover for and ultimately replace Ryan Giggs, whereas Liverpool could use a proper striking partner for Fernando Torres or even a deep-lying midfielder to back up and provide for the Spaniard.

Consistency

Let’s also look at the consistency issue. Some players tend to drift in and out of form, playing superbly one week and rather poor the next. Hunt is more stable and consistent in his performances. He may not be as spectacular as some of the big(ger) names in world football, but he always manages to make a positive impression during a game.

His consistency was a reason for German national team manager Joachim Loew to add him to his latest line-up, claiming Hunt had "sehr konstant gespielt und mit guten Leistungen einen Schritt nach vorne gemacht", which basically praises his consistency and the progression he has made so far.[1]

Once again, which national team or club side wouldn’t want a player like that on their books? A skillful player who puts in consistently decent performances in a multitude of positions? Sounds like an ideal squad member to me…

Total package

When looking at his performances over the past few seasons, we can only conclude that Hunt is a pretty complete player, as one would expect from a player who can play in several positions on the pitch.[2][3][4]

Hunt has a reliable first touch, which helps him both upfront and as a winger. He is a technically skilled player, capable of dribbling past an opponent and creating space for himself. He has also shown on several occasions he has a good cross, which is a pre-requisite for a winger.

As stated before, Hunt also has the ability to score goals and equally important, he scores a nice variety of goals. He can fire a nice shot, he can head quite well and he has the poacher’s instinct to be in the right position inside the box, all important trademarks for an offence-minded player.

Regarding his physique, Hunt has shown on several occasions to be quite fast and difficult to muscle off the ball. He also possesses the stamina to work in midfield yet still be dangerous with surging runs forward.

Though he has suffered a few injuries over the past years, he probably has the physique needed to succeed in the Premiership, not to mention his other assets which would make him a quality member of any club’s squad and which would have made him an impact player for the English national side.

QP-ratio

The quality-price ratio is not, nor has it ever been, a factor of importance for the national side. However, potential Premiership buyers will love this aspect of Aaron Hunt and a potential transfer to the English Premiership.

As previously mentioned, Hunt’s contract with German Bundesliga club Werder Bremen is due to expire this summer and the versatile forward has not yet signed a new deal. That means that any club interested can either sign him during the January transfer window at a marked down price or wait another six months and sign him for free.

For this relatively cheap investment, a potential buyer would receive a fairly young player, neo-international to a respectable football nation, capable of playing in a multitude of positions, with the skill set to be an impact player and someone who would need little or no time to adapt to English culture, as he’s half English and still has family living in England.

So basically, when you consider the relatively low transfer sum, as a buying club, you’d be taking a very low risk. You’d get a talented player on a bargain deal, which means a good quality-price ratio, which is something all clubs love these days.

Conclusion

As you can see, Hunt could have offered a great deal to the English national side and would be able to offer a great deal to any Premier League side willing to invest in the German youngster.

The lad has the right character, the right physique, a developed skill set and offers some much needed versatility, all for a fairly low price. How could any team still be hesitating to make a bid for this bright prospect?

[1] http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/nationalelf/startseite/516809/artikel_Mit-Hunt-Mueller-und-Kiessling.html

[2] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK1QgEap604

[3] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtqPexdH8AQ

[4] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlJSECJTWJw

Not since Deisler was working the wings for Herta Berlin has Germany seen a more bright, technically gifted playmaker than Mesut Ozil. His talents were seen in bits and pieces during his rise to the Schalke first team, the 2007-2008 season proving to be his breakthrough. 

It was as a thin, quiet 18-year-old against Chelsea that I saw him for the first time. It didn't take long to come to the conclusion that he was a special player. With a magnificent first touch and an eye for the right pass he shows the necessary instincts.

Then as January was passing, rumours were rife about a pay dispute with his employers. Unsurprisingly, famous youth developer Arsene Wenger was credited to having shown interest in Ozil but in the end it was the perfect man (or men) who took him under their guidance: The best attacking coach and playmaker in the land—of course I mean Thomas Schaaf and Diego Ribas.

Fast forward one year and now Ozil is the talk of the town, and his reputation has been extended to a continental scale after winning the Golden Ball at the European U-21 Championships. Juventus wanted to sign him along with Diego, but were quickly thrown away by Bremen's unwillingness. 

After one season as an understudy, the time has now come for Ozil to take his mentors place as Bremen's for-most playmaker. The initial signs are better than expected, he has already equalled his Bundesliga goal tally of last season and has just recently scored his first international goal.

But while this praise will bring joy to a Bremen fans heart, news that he won't extend his contract past 2011 is worrying. With this, there is talk of German talent snappers Bayern Munich next summer enticing Bremen with an alternative to seeing him leave for nothing. If Ozil does make the move, then I would be very disappointed.

Bayern have not had a good record with German talent lately. Besides Ballack, the champions have seen the careers of Deisler, Schweinsteiger, Rensing, and Podolski take a downturn. There is only reason for this: addiction to success.

Bayern are the top German team. No two ways about it. And with that headline, a trophy laden season is a minimum expectation, and this expectation is thrown onto the players. The rules are simple; be part of a winning team and be hailed as a hero, or be part of an unsuccessful team and be hated.

This pressure can be too much for most young players reaching maturity, recently we have seen Schweinsteiger and Podolski take majority of the blame for the 2006-07 season and that has taken its toll on both. Schweinsteiger has since then been under the magnifying glass and was included in the recent list of players deemed "not worthy for the starting line-up" made by the Bayern Munich supporters group as part of their letter to the Bayern board.

At Werder Bremen, on the other hand, Ozil is the star player and will not have the pressure of high expectations. What is most important for a youngster is the freedom to play his natural game and under Thomas Schaaf, he will be the center of a formation perfectly suited to his playing style while also having an almost equally talented partner in Marko Marin with whom he can create a partnership that can not only be the fear of German teams, but also national teams as Marin too, is German.

Bremen will always be on the cusp of a Bundesliga title, contesting year in year out and also winning one after every few years so a challenge will always be there.

The need to play in Europe will also be fulfilled on normal form therefore the adaptation to all types of playing styles will continue. Also with being part of a big German club like Bremen, he will be a consistent fixture in the national side which can be of major concern to players especially with the coming of a major tournament.

The conditions are perfect for the little master to perfect his skills and go to the brink of being a world class player. A move to a bigger club would only be feasible once Ozil becomes mature enough to handle not only domestic pressures, but also European competition pressures.

For only when he will be able to show he can conquer the biggest clubs in the world, will he be one of the worlds best. 

That is why Ozil should extent his contract and remain at Bremen, to 2013 in my opinion and have a bit more patience. At 25 years of age he would have enough experience of the highs and lows that come with being part of a top domestic club and experience of European competitions to be a major player in one of the heavyweights of Europe. 

Claudio Pizarro, Werder Bremen's Peruvian goal-getter, has announced in an interview with Welt Am Sonntag that he will be gunning for the record of most goals scored by a foreign player in the German Bundesliga. He went on to declare that "this record meant a great deal to him."

Currently, the Peruvian striker is second in the list of the highest-scoring foreign players in the Bundesliga, trailing former Stuttgart and Bayern Munich forward Giovane Elber by a mere fourteen goals.

The current top 4 of the Bundesliga's all-time foreign goalscorers looks like this:

Name	Games played	Goals scored	Average
1. Giovane Elber (BRA)	260	133	0,51
2. Claudio Pizarro (PER)	258	119	0,46
3. Ailton (BRA)	219	106	0,48
4. Stephane Chapuisat (SWI)	228	106	0,46

Given his average of 0,46 goals a game, Pizarro should be able to beat Elber's record this season, provided he stays free of injuries or a serious loss of form. The 30 year old therefore appears destined to beat Elber's record.

As it happens, Pizarro is also the most prolific goalscorer currently playing in the Bundesliga, as he has scored the most Bundesliga goals of any forward currently active in Germany.

Name	Games played	Goals scored	Average
1. Claudio Pizarro (PER)	258	119	0,46
2. Miroslav Klose (GER)	264	117	0,44
3. Kevin Kuranyi (GER)	232	95	0,41
4. Oliver Neuville (GER)	325	91	0,28
5. Diego Klimowicz (ARG)	202	67	0,33

With a goals-to-games ratio like this and taking into account that he has three years remaining on his contract with Werder, it appears only a matter of time before the Peruvian, who was lovingly dubbed "Der Andesbomber" by FC Bayern fans, breaks the record set by Elber.

Gary Megson worked overtime this summer to strengthen the Trotters squad. Prior to yesterday, Bolton had acquired six new players. Yet, Bolton are still to register a point in the league and, coupled with the ginger Mourinho’s public criticism of Johan Elmander, it is not unsurprising that with just hours to go to the transfer deadline a loan deal was agreed with Nantes for their 29 year old striker Ivan Klasnic.

Klasnic was born in Hamburg and began his career with St Pauli, a club in the second tier of the Bundesliga with whom he made 95 appearances, scoring 26 goals. After helping the club to the first tier of the Bundesliga he made a move to Werder Bremen, one of Germany’s bigger clubs.

The striker made an inauspicious start at Bremen. In his first two seasons he made 35 appearances and bagged a measly three goals. It was not until the 2003-2004 season that he showed German crowds what he could do. He scored 13 goals and registered 13 assists, helping Werder to the Bundesliga and Cup double. The following season he netted 10 goals and he improved on this in 2005-2006 scoring a career high 15 goals.

As a young player that was improving quickly he became a favourite with the fans. Following a minor operation to remove his appendix, though, disaster struck and Klasnic was diagnosed with a rare kidney condition. Doctors tried to combat the condition with a cocktail of drugs, but by late 2006 it was clear his kidney was failing and he needed a transplant.

He could have carried on having dialysis three times a week and waited for a compatible kidney to become available from a recently deceased donor, but at 26 Klasnic required the operation sooner rather than later if he wanted to resume his playing career. His mother donated one of her kidneys and five days later, on Klasnic’s 27th birthday, doctors told him his body had rejected it. His father then stepped in and Klasnic received his kidney. This time, his body accepted the new organ and within a year he was back playing for Bremen.

After a long layoff coupled with a new organ, Klasnic failed to rediscover his form. He did not agree to a contract extension and made his way to Nantes. In his one season in France he scored 10 goals in 33 games.

In his prime Klasnic was a fearsome target man. He was strong as an ox but also was surprisingly fast. This enabled him to make a nuisance of himself in the air and in the channels running in behind full-backs and holding the ball up until supporting players arrived. He is left footed and scores most of his goals in the box feeding on crosses and goal-mouth melees.

Although he was born in Germany he decided to play for Croatia, the land of his parents. He made his international debut in 2004 but has never established himself as an ever present member of the first eleven.

Bolton desperately need to score goals this season and with a misfiring forward line all does not bode well. Megson clearly feels the need that the Trotters need some presence upfront and claimed that scouts had watched the striker on countless occasions.

Nevertheless the loan signing of a player that has never come close to recapturing his best form since his kidney transplant is like pinning the tail on a donkey blindfolded. Bolton need goals now, Klasnic has no settling in period he needs to perform immediately, unfortunately we do not believe he will.

Video evidence of Ivan Klasnic in his pomp can be seen here.

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Enough waffle, onto the bets where once again we begin by investing £25 in our William Hill account.

While England kicks off this weekend, it’s week two in the highest goalscoring league in Europe—the Bundesliga. And there are a series of mouth-watering ties including Bayern Munich’s home match with Werder Bremen while the reigning champions Wolfsburg travel to Cologne.

Expecting there to be more than two goals in both matches (Bayern-Bremen is 1/2 while Cologne-Wolfsburg is 8/13) we are staking a £3 bet with the hopes of winning a £7.27 return.

Hoping to pick up some easy money on two home bankers, we head to Saturday’s action in Ligue 1. PSG, after disappointing majorly last term, started the new year with a point at newly promoted Montpellier, and the Parisians will be aiming for all three points this weekend when they host Le Mans at the Parc des Princes.

After winning 2-0 on the road last weekend at Grenoble, title hopefuls Marseille entertain Lille at the Velodrome, with the Northern French outfit looking to bounce back after a surprise home defeat in week one at home to Lorient.

Backing a double home win of both PSG (4/7) and Marseille (8/13), the plan is to transform a £3 stake into a £4.62 profit.

Since football began, the opening day of the season has always brought surprise results in the Premier League. Last year Manchester United began the season with a goalless home draw against Newcastle, and this year Old Trafford welcome newly promoted Birmingham on Sunday.

Taking a higher risk to claim a higher return, we are willing to stake £1.50 on the Midlanders scraping an unlikely draw at 9/2, with the hopes of scooping an £8.25 return.

England v Germany, Uefa European Under-21 Championships final, June 29, 2009

“The team who has the most guts, takes their chances and maybe has enough fit players will win. We came here to win, now we want to take the trophy home.” – Stuart Pearce.

As England (11/8 to win) go into their first final at this level since 1984, their head coach Stuart Pearce continues to dominate the headlines with stirring quotes like the one above. The former Nottingham Forest full-back should be lauded for leading England to the final and along the way winning a dreaded semi-final penalty shoot-out.

To add to calls that will likely be forthcoming if the Young Lions win the final, Pearce made his squad practice penalties for a full two years and his decision to play a reserve team against Germany in the group stages, in a match that finished 1-1, now looks like a masterstroke.

However, incredibly, England go into the final with just one fit forward as both Gabriel Agbonlahor and Frazier Campbell are suspended, leaving just Theo Walcott to plough a lone furrow up front. No wonder Sven Goran Eriksson, a manager who made the exact mistake at the last World Cup, has backed Pearce to take over the full England job. (Walcott is 13/8 to score.)

As a result, this game could well be a low scoring affair (4/7 of there being under 2.5 goals) with Germany having negotiated their way to the final having conceded just one goal (Jack Rodwell’s header in the group game) and scored four. They are also without striker Ashkan Dejagah who is also suspended, leaving Sandro Wagner (2/1 to score) up top for Ze Germans.

The good news for England is that Wagner plays his club football for Duisburg in the German second division, claiming seven goals in 30 appearances last season. As a result the clear danger man for England to keep an eye on is Mesut Ozil (9/4 to score) of Werder Bremen, a playmaker who looks ready for the full national team.

Gonzalo Castro is probably the other attacking player England must watch out for, whilst Andreas Beck furthered his reputation with a fine goal from right-back in the shock semi-final win over Italy.

Germany’s strength lies in defence where Benedikt Howedes and Jerome Boateng have been in terrific form and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has established himself as the up-and-coming goalkeeper in European football. Neuer made a number of excellent saves against Italy and England may struggle to beat him twice. (England are 13/8 to score no goals.)

With Joe Hart suspended due to some crazy gamesmanship in the penalty shoot-out against Sweden, Watford keeper Scott Loach is expected to start. The midfield could be where the goals come from with the likes of Noble, Cattermole, Rodwell (5/1 to score) and Muamba all having fine tournaments.

The Young Lions will no doubt be wary that they were woeful in the second half against Sweden but having drawn with Ze Germans in the group stages with a reserve team, still have enough talent and experience to win the trophy. Germany though have a fantastic youth system and are bidding to be the first country ever to hold to hold the Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21 titles at the same time. (Germany are 2/1 to win.)

On paper this looks like a low-scoring match with three strikers from both sides suspended. 101 Great Goals is backing England to win, but that is a prediction made from the heart rather than the head.

101gg predicts: England 1 – Germany 0 (6/1) & Mark Noble to score first (12/1)

Full match odds here.