Let’s Get This Party Started.

By: Jamie | August 28th, 2009

Hello Bremen fans! My name is Jamie and I’ll be handling the Offside blog now. I plan on updating quite often, so be sure to stay tuned and keep up for what will hopefully be an exciting season. Werder currently sit 8th on the table after the first three Bundesliga matches and take on Hertha Berlin on Sunday (unfortunately I am out of town that morning but should get an update in on Sunday night!).

I’m going to get stuck right in on current news which is the group draw for the Europa League. Werder swiftly dispatched of FK Aktobe by an aggregate of 8-3 to reach the group stages and here’s what the draw was:

Group L:
Werder Bremen
Austria Wien
Athletic Bilbao
Nacional

At first glance, it seems like Bilbao will be our toughest opponents but you never know what can happen on each particular night. Austria Wien defeated English side Aston Villa to book their place in the group stages so they could prove tricky as well. After our amazing but ultimately disappointing Uefa Cup run last season, we’ll definitely be looking to take it up a notch and snag that trophy.

Oh, but I’m not finished yet! I also wanted to focus on and rejoice in possibly our best signing (well, re-signing really) of the summer so far:

Welcome back, Claudio Pizarro! He’s already scored 4 goals in three matches since he’s been back. Chelsea were glad to be rid of him and I am quite happy to welcome him back with open arms.

You may also recognize the little blond fella in the photo with him – young Marko Marin. I actually thought he was on his way to Hamburg at the end of last season, so it was obviously a surprise to hear he had instead decided to wear the green jersey. I’m quite thrilled because, honestly, I think the kid is great. Okay, maybe he didn’t have quite the sparkling season last year and he didn’t quite impress at the U21 Championship, but he’s got promise and I hope being at Werder under the tutelage of experienced international midfielders like Borowski and Frings will help nurture his talent.

And, of course, we’ve got TimBo back. After a season of warming the bench at Bayern, Tim Borowski has jumped right back into the starting XI. We’ll see if he can keep up his good form and maintain that place.

And now… on to Berlin!