It was a season of extremes for Werder Bremen who flirted with relegation for large portions of the campaign before a late surge up the table almost helped them secure a European qualification spot only for the club having to settle for a place in the top half in the end. Coach Viktor Skrypnyk was hoping to build on a positive end to the previous campaign but Bremen got off to a poor start, losing their opening three league games to quickly drop to the foot of the table while also suffering a shock first round exit from the DFB Cup following their defeat to Sportfreunde Lotte. Despite the season being just four games old, the Bremen board decided to act and relieved Skrypnyk of the job and Alexander Nouri took over initially as the interim coach. While Nouri did suffer a defeat in his opening game, a three-match unbeaten run did raise hopes of a turnaround for the club. However it proved to be a false dawn as Bremen struggled for consistency, winning just two more times until the end of December and headed into the winter break sitting just outside the relegation zone. Nouri though held on to his job despite losing the first four games after the winter break but a crucial win over Mainz in February proved to be the turning point to their season as Bremen hit an excellent run of form that saw them fail to win just twice in the next 11 games, which took them to the verge of European spot, before three straight defeats at the end meant that Bremen had to settle for an eighth placed finish.
A porous defense proved to be Bremen's biggest problem over the course of the campaign, with the club managing to register just six cleansheets and ending the season with the worst defensive record. Injuries were also a major problem for Nouri with new signing Max Kruse spending a lengthy spell on the sidelines while Claudio Pizarro never really was fully fit and made just 10 starts. Kruse, though, did play a crucial role in the run, with the striker ending the campaign as the top scorer with 15 goals and also chipping in with seven assists. While Nouri will view the season as a success, having taken over the club when it was rock bottom of the Bundesliga table, he will be hoping to be backed in the transfer window with Bremen requiring a rebuilding job, especially in the summer, if they are to enjoy a successful campaign next season.
