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Bundesliga Comment: By Selling Mesut Oezil To Real Madrid, Werder Bremen Have Committed Champions League Suicide And Sold Out The Bundesliga
Following Mesut Oezil’s departure, Werder Bremen have accepted themselves as a lower class team.
| Bet: | Returns: | Real Madrid £10.62 | Draw £90.00 | Levante £210.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Real Madrid £10.80 | Draw £100.00 | Levante £260.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Real Madrid £10.80 | Draw £100.00 | Levante £260.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Real Madrid £10.80 | Draw £87.00 | Levante £170.00 |
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Aug 18, 2010 10:00:00 AM
By Clark Whitney
Since the 2006 World Cup, the Bundesliga’s rise to prominence has been largely under the radar. Over the last four years, few players from Germany’s first tier have attracted interest from Europe’s heavyweights. Until recently, the Bundesliga has been an undercover breeding ground for dozens of young talents. And then came the 2010 World Cup.
In the early knockout rounds, the rumors appeared: “Thomas Mueller to Man Utd for £32m,” “Real Madrid to bid €50m for Bastian Schweinsteiger.” The list goes on and on. Perhaps if Germany had scraped through to the World Cup semifinal, their stars would have been ignored as they were after die Mannschaft placed second at Euro 2008. But following thrashings of England (4-1) and Argentina (4-0), that wasn’t going to happen again.
Since the World Cup, bids for Bundesliga stars, both German and foreign, have been made by the truckload. In addition to Bayern Munich stars Schweinsteiger and Mueller, sizable offers for Wolfsburg duo Edin Dzeko and Zvjezdan Misimovic have also been made. All the above have one thing in common: each has been turned down. Bayern and Wolfsburg have ambition, lack debt, and accordingly, have found little use in surrendering their key players.
The same cannot be said for Hamburg, Stuttgart, and now, Werder Bremen. Today, Bremen playmaker Mesut Oezil became the third young Germany international (along with Jerome Boateng and Sami Khedira) to head abroad since the beginning of the World Cup, and the second to leave for Madrid. While many can claim that Khedira was the heart and soul of Stuttgart before his move to the Spanish capitol, the sale of Oezil is an even more destructive move for Bremen.
To begin with, the timing of Oezil’s move was horrendous. It occurred barely more than 24 hours before Bremen are scheduled to face off with Sampdoria in a pivotal Champions League play-off. By releasing their best player, the cornerstone of their trademark attack, Bremen have effectively committed Champions League suicide. They have no time to sign and train with a suitable replacement. It’s as though they have accepted defeat already, and have their hopes set on advancing to the Europa League Round of 16 before bowing out at the hands of a lower league team.
Domestically, Werder’s situation situation is no better: Bayern remain title favorites, and Schalke, Wolfsburg, Dortmund, and Leverkusen all have improved. With Oezil in their squad, Bremen would have had a chance to finish in the top three. Now, they’ll be lucky to place fifth.
Initial reports indicate that Madrid paid just €15m for Oezil's services. If they are true, that makes Bremen not just the great whore of the Bundesliga, but a cheap one at that. A team with any ambition would have scoffed at such an offer. Even if Oezil had left on a free transfer next year, in keeping him, Bremen could have put their best foot forward towards earning the €10m bonus of playing in the Champions League (both this year and the next), and kept their dignity as well.
Perhaps most important is the long-term effect that Oezil’s sale has on Bremen’s name and image. The simple truth is that two types of clubs sell their best player: 1) teams with financial trouble; and 2) representatives of lower leagues whose players get “too big” for their respective clubs. Bremen are debtless, so evidently, they don’t see themselves as “good enough” to keep Oezil. It’s a gutless decision on their part, and has set the Bundesliga back several years in its development.
In recent years, Stuttgart and Hamburg have sold their best players while neglecting to sign adequate replacements. Domestically, they finished sixth and seventh in 2009-10, respectively 15 and 18 points behind winners Bayern. They’re not bad teams, but have precious little chance of winning silverware anytime soon. Today, they can officially welcome Bremen to the second tier of Bundesliga teams.
In the early knockout rounds, the rumors appeared: “Thomas Mueller to Man Utd for £32m,” “Real Madrid to bid €50m for Bastian Schweinsteiger.” The list goes on and on. Perhaps if Germany had scraped through to the World Cup semifinal, their stars would have been ignored as they were after die Mannschaft placed second at Euro 2008. But following thrashings of England (4-1) and Argentina (4-0), that wasn’t going to happen again.
Since the World Cup, bids for Bundesliga stars, both German and foreign, have been made by the truckload. In addition to Bayern Munich stars Schweinsteiger and Mueller, sizable offers for Wolfsburg duo Edin Dzeko and Zvjezdan Misimovic have also been made. All the above have one thing in common: each has been turned down. Bayern and Wolfsburg have ambition, lack debt, and accordingly, have found little use in surrendering their key players.
The same cannot be said for Hamburg, Stuttgart, and now, Werder Bremen. Today, Bremen playmaker Mesut Oezil became the third young Germany international (along with Jerome Boateng and Sami Khedira) to head abroad since the beginning of the World Cup, and the second to leave for Madrid. While many can claim that Khedira was the heart and soul of Stuttgart before his move to the Spanish capitol, the sale of Oezil is an even more destructive move for Bremen.
To begin with, the timing of Oezil’s move was horrendous. It occurred barely more than 24 hours before Bremen are scheduled to face off with Sampdoria in a pivotal Champions League play-off. By releasing their best player, the cornerstone of their trademark attack, Bremen have effectively committed Champions League suicide. They have no time to sign and train with a suitable replacement. It’s as though they have accepted defeat already, and have their hopes set on advancing to the Europa League Round of 16 before bowing out at the hands of a lower league team.
Werder have committed suicide by selling Oezil
Domestically, Werder’s situation situation is no better: Bayern remain title favorites, and Schalke, Wolfsburg, Dortmund, and Leverkusen all have improved. With Oezil in their squad, Bremen would have had a chance to finish in the top three. Now, they’ll be lucky to place fifth.
Initial reports indicate that Madrid paid just €15m for Oezil's services. If they are true, that makes Bremen not just the great whore of the Bundesliga, but a cheap one at that. A team with any ambition would have scoffed at such an offer. Even if Oezil had left on a free transfer next year, in keeping him, Bremen could have put their best foot forward towards earning the €10m bonus of playing in the Champions League (both this year and the next), and kept their dignity as well.
Perhaps most important is the long-term effect that Oezil’s sale has on Bremen’s name and image. The simple truth is that two types of clubs sell their best player: 1) teams with financial trouble; and 2) representatives of lower leagues whose players get “too big” for their respective clubs. Bremen are debtless, so evidently, they don’t see themselves as “good enough” to keep Oezil. It’s a gutless decision on their part, and has set the Bundesliga back several years in its development.
In recent years, Stuttgart and Hamburg have sold their best players while neglecting to sign adequate replacements. Domestically, they finished sixth and seventh in 2009-10, respectively 15 and 18 points behind winners Bayern. They’re not bad teams, but have precious little chance of winning silverware anytime soon. Today, they can officially welcome Bremen to the second tier of Bundesliga teams.
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