How can Werder Bremen spring a surprise against Bayern Munich?

“So you’re saying there’s a chance?”

This weekend will be step two of the Daniel Thioune journey for Werder Bremen, and he couldn’t have asked for a much tougher follow-up to his debut. His side will host league-leaders Bayern Munich, and they’ll do it while sitting in the relegation-playoff place.

On one hand, it’s a terrible turn of events. Thioune has only been with his team for a week and a half. He’s yet to truly know his players and his staff, and he’s far from fully acclimated to life in Bremen. Now he has to worry about the best team in the country.

Then again, there’s a silver lining to the situation. No matter how much time the coach had, he’d likely never go into a game like this expecting to win. It’s a free hit in some aspects. Instead of having to agonize over getting a result, like he’ll have to in future weeks, he can focus on developing his system and the talents in it while potentially stealing a point along the way.

So, how can Werder pull off a shocker?

Defensively strong (and a little unethical)

If the Green-Whites are going to have any chance of nicking points from the contest, they will have to be strong, solid, and incredibly compact at the back.

They might have to get a little dark, too.

As much as this would hurt for Bremen, they should take notes from their bitter rivals. Hamburg hosted Bayern a few weeks ago, and they ended the night with a point after a 2-2 draw. How did they do that? Well, one of the main tactics was to make things ugly.

The dark arts aren’t usually used in the Bundesliga, where football is meant to be pure. However, when you’re up against Munich, you don’t have many other options. You have to get a little dirty. Hamburg did not let the opposition get in rhythm, taking professional fouls and keeping the ball out of play for as long as possible.

It’s a tough strategy, and you need some luck to pull it off. At one point a Hamburg defender pushed a Bayern player into a different Hamburg player, and somehow earned a free-kick in the process. That won’t always happen, but it’s the best chance you have.

Bremen do have talented defenders on the roster. Marco Friedl can be one of the best in the country, while young phenom Karim Coulibaly is already very solid. With defensive midfielder Senne Lynen in front of them, there’s a strong base to build upon.

Those three will need help, of course. The fullbacks will have to stay deep, and the wingers in front of them will have to be happy with playing wingback. Space must be clogged up at all times, preventing initial crosses and then clearing any second-balls.

It will be tempting to try and move the ball as a unit in possession, but Werder need to avoid that. As soon as they lose it, Munich will be ready to pounce on the space left behind. Get it up quickly, and don’t commit too many men forward.

German fans might not like it, but a Mourinho-esque performance will be needed.

A counter attacking duo

Justin Njinmah and Marco Grull have come under a ton of scrutiny this season, and while deserved, this weekend will be a big chance for either to become a hero.

The two have struggled in the final third. They don’t have the technical ability to reliably threaten in the final third, and when it’s time to make that final pass or convert a chance, they fail.

However, if there’s one attribute both possess, it’s remarkable speed. The winger/striker hybrids are at their best when they’re on the last shoulder of the defender, sprinting in behind the backline. They are as fast as they come.

The one thing Munich will allow you is space behind them. Since they’re so much on the front foot, their center backs tend to hover near the halfway line. They’re pretty quick themselves, and Manuel Neuer is the king of sweeper-keepers, but the opportunity is there.

As soon as Die Werderaner win the ball, whichever option is on the field needs to immediately get on their bike. They can even be the front two like they were in the reverse fixture, which had some early signs of promise even if nothing came of it.

That’s it. No tricks or skills, find out where the space is and run right for it.

Goalkeeping heroics

At the end of the day, no matter how well Bremen defend, they will give up opportunities. That’s where Mio Backhaus will have to save them.

Even though the team has conceded a decent amount of goals, it’s almost never been the fault of their number #1. He’s been immense ever since taking over the starting spot to open the campaign, making a number of highlight-reel saves.

That was the case this past weekend. Minutes after giving up a goal he could do little about, Backhaus then made an insane reflex save from close range to keep the deficit at one. In the recent draw versus Borussia Mönchengladbach, he denied the opposition in stoppage time right before his side’s equalizer.

The keeper has shown he can make any type of save, and on Saturday he’s going to have to make every single one of them.

He’ll also have to put away one of his weaknesses. As a younger goalie and a relatively thinner one, Backhaus sometimes struggles to come out for corners and crosses. He’s not scared, but he hasn’t developed that presence quite yet. Munich will absolutely pounce on that if he’s not careful.

There are going to be tons of crosses whipped right into the box, and Bayern will win corners and free-kicks too. Those are going right to the youth German international. He has to punch them away, and get them far enough so there’s no chance of a rebound.

Backhaus can stand on his head, and if Bremen somehow get something from this fixture, he’ll likely be the first person to thank.