Mesut Ozil Aaron Hunt and Marko Marin Inspire SV Werder Bremen to Fifth Bundesliga Title
Werder Bremen is a German sports club, known best for its football team in Bremen, Germany. The foundation of the club was rather fortunate as some students from a vocational high school accepted sports equipment as a prize in a competition they had won. The students didn't quite know how to use the prize they had been given, but they realized they had to make the most of it, and so Werder Bremen was created.
The club continued to grow steadily after the First World War and began to adopt other sports, though football remained their primary interest. The name of the club was changed to Sportverein Werder Bremen, its current form, in 1920. In 1922, Bremen became the first football club to hire a professional coach, which put into perspective the seriousness with which they thought about their football.
After the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963, the club continued to grow. A first ever win in the German Cup had meant that they were given a place in the inaugural season of the Bundesliga, and it only took them one more season to claim their first ever league win. After a second place finish in 1968, the club's form began to decline, which eventually resulted in their relegation for the first and only time in 1980.
The club was given a new sense of purpose by new coach Otto Rehhagel, who led Bremen to a series of impressive finishes in quick succession. Finishing runners-up in the Bundesliga in 1983, 1985 and 1986 was followed by winning the Bundesliga crown in 1988. Rehhagel helped the team secure the DFB-Pokal in 1991 and then the European Cup Winner's Cup in 1992. The third league title was added in 1993, which was followed by their third German Cup.
After Otto Rehhagel's departure (in 1995), the club went through a period of transition, in which they struggled to replicate the form they had displayed in their previous seasons, coming close to relegation but surviving. Under the leadership of former player, Thomas Schaaf, Bremen managed to secure a place in the league and pick up another German Cup just weeks later.
In the last decade, Werder Bremen's performances peaked during the 2004 season, when they became only the fourth side to take the double. Bremen won the Bundesliga as well as the German Cup, and qualified automatically for the UEFA Champions League as a consequence. Their European campaign, though, ended in embarrassment, as they lost 10-2 on aggregate to the French champion, Lyon.
Last season was a relatively good one for Bremen, as they finished third behind the Champions Bayern Munich and runner-ups Schalke 04. The third position means that they have qualified for the qualification round of the UEFA Champions league. The club is currently coached by the same man who led them to success in 1999, Thomas Schaaf. The club will be looking to improve on the third place finish next season and will be looking to promising players like Mesut Ozil, Aaron Hunt and Marko Marin to inspire them to their fifth Bundesliga title.
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