Bundesliga: Werder Bremen vs Eintracht Frankfurt! Why does Frankfurt seem more like a relegation-threatened team?

Today, let's start withthe Bundesliga: Werder Bremen vs Eintracht Frankfurt!

Which team looks more like a relegation candidate, Bremen or Frankfurt?

You might think I'm kidding—13th place and 7th place, how can they be compared?

Under normal conditions, the strength difference between the two is indeed quite large.

But in today's unique situation, it might not be so clear; maybe Frankfurt actually looks more like a relegation team.

Frankfurt has so many problems, it’s a chain reaction where one issue leads to another.

First, as everyone knows, Frankfurt’s offense is very strong; they currently have the second most goals in the Bundesliga, only behind Bayern.

Their main problem is a weak defense—they concede the third most goals in the league, a defensive level typical of relegation teams.

So, for a team strong in attack but weak in defense, the winter transfer window should focus on strengthening the defense, right?

However, Frankfurt didn’t do that; instead, they prioritized reinforcing their attack by bringing in two strikers, both of whom started in the last game.

Why?

Because they literally had no strikers available.

Their top scorer Burkardt and second striker Batshuayi are injured, and the third striker Nkankam is too weak. Frankfurt had no professional strikers to use and had to field wingers as makeshift forwards even when playing Hamburg.

For a team built around a striker-based tactical system, this is a disaster; signing a striker became the top priority.

The good news is—they made a smart choice. The new signing Ebunu-Tarib scored in his debut against Dortmund with a brilliant chip after a one-on-one run, showing great promise.

The bad news is—he got injured in the second match against Stuttgart and might be out for a month.

As you can see, with two professional strikers now,coach Torbomüller reverted to his favored 4-4-2 formation with two strikers in the last game—only for one to get injured immediately?

First, playing two away games in just three days means the tactic has to change again, which is hard to adapt to.

Then, sporting director Harten said they still need to find more strikers, which affects their ability to strengthen the defense because the first team already has 32 players—a very large squad. To add more forwards, they’ll have to reduce defenders, so Frankfurt’s defensive quality probably won’t improve much.

Even worse, there are problems in the goalkeeper position.

Before the Dortmund match, Frankfurt officially promoted Brazilian youngster Santos to first-choice goalkeeper.

Although Santos’s shot-stopping is average, his footwork is good, fitting the modern goalkeeper profile.

But the problem seems to be his mental toughness.

Just after being promoted, he conceded six goals in two games, with a save rate dropping to 50%, the worst among all starting Bundesliga goalkeepers.

Note: He is directly responsible for many of those goals conceded.

For example, in the last game, he gifted Stuttgart a goal—a costly basic mistake.

Frankfurt intended to defend deep and counterattack after stealing an early goal, but giving one away like that disrupts the tactical plan.

As a result, many teammates were very angry; defender Tait openly criticized him on the pitch, showing some internal discord in the team.

Frankfurt’s team already has many problems.

And after the winter break, due to injuries and other factors, they haven’t solved these issues yet.

Defensively, they are currently at relegation team level.

As for offense, they were originally strong—the second best in the Bundesliga. But with only one loaned young striker left due to injuries, that strength is questionable.

Moreover, they have played one more match than Bremen and are on their second consecutive away game, which is very taxing physically...

So, in reality, their combat effectiveness has dropped significantly.

Returning to the initial question—who looks more like a relegation team? Could it actually be Frankfurt?

So, can Bremen satisfy their fans? What do you think? I look forward to them aiming for at least a draw or a win at home!

Alright, for today’s other matches, I will still send my written opinions tonight. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. “Watch football clearly,” see you there!

If you like it, please tap to follow and like!