Is it over for Werder?

Werders last week performance was a big disappointment for many fans and at least for me a big surprise. 5-0 against Mönchengladbach doesn't leave much questions to be asked. M'gladbach has proven quite good a group this season, but I doubt that it will last until the end of the season. Back to Bremen. After their shock defeat there came even worse news. Claudio Pizarro, who has been the big reason for Werders success is going to be away from their strength for a month. The Peruvian has scored 11 goals in 12 games and he became the all time most scoring foreign player in the Bundesliga. Pizarro's 11 goals is almost half of goals his team has managed to score this season (23).

The big question that's left to ask if there is anyone in the team to fill his boots. Markus Rosenberg showed good form in the pre-season matches, but has been sitting on the bench more than playing on the field. Maybe he will get his chance now, but I doubt his ability to keep up with Pizarro's scoring rate. Another player which I personally would expect to pick up his game is Marko Arnautovic. He hasn't been playing bad in the matches I've seen and he has also gotten his temper under control. I have expected more from him, and I think he has the potential, but just has to fully concentrate in playing the game. Now would be a great time to show what he is capable of, because someone has to score the goals while Pizarro is gone.

The other big news last round, if we don't concentrate on the sad news, was Bayerns defeat against Dortmund. The match didn't give too much for the audience, and sometimes it was actually quite boring as the teams concentrated on defending. Götze was able to score from a situation that should've been cleared by the Bayern defence. The good thing in that was, that the excitement in the champion race stayed close, and the bavarians now only lead by two points.

On the next round Dortmund is playing against Schalke 04. That is a big match for both teams and both need points to stay in the race for the cup. Huntelaar showed who's the number one striker in his team as Schalke had no difficulties against Nürnberg. Pukki got to play too, which is always positive, but he didn't have to prove anything as his team was already leading by three as he got on. Wolfsburgs win over Hannover was almost a shock especially as Magaths men have been playing so poorly. Maybe this was a turning point, but next round game against Augsburg will show if Magath has found the right direction. When we talk about the top teams the focus in my book lies on Werder next round. Can they forget about the last game? And are they able to perform without Pizarro? It's a little hasty to give predictions on the basis of one game and one injury, but I'm still gonna say that this will be the turning point in Werders season. One team doesn't make a team, but sometimes it can be crucial. We'll see Pizarros worth for Bremen, and how they play without him.