Can someone help me? Was this the UEFA Cup, or the Samba Cup? The Brazilian contingent on display today was brilliant, and to think, these players have never even been considered, much less drafted into their national squad, scary I know. On Werder Bremen’s side of things, Naldo, a Brazilian go figure, was the only player for them that prevented an old fashioned Ukrainian thrashing; you know the one that leaves you nursing wounds that go deeper than the skin. Shakhtar Donetsk, on the other hand, lived up to their billing. Their free flowing, one–two, Barcelona like attacking system was magnificent at times and they were a joy to watch.
If great teams are built around a great player then Werder Bremen has the key to success. Unfortunately, they were forced to leave their key in the stands and apparently there was no spare. Without their Brazilian maestro Diego, Bremen looked a team without direction, vision, or creativity. Their passes were inaccurate, runs ineffective and pitiful link up play amateur at best. Shakhtar did a very good job containing what few threats they posed and did an excellent job launching exciting counterattacks, followed by audacious back heels which many times baffled Bremens frail resistance.
This game was won and lost in midfield. In a game marred by arguably a lack of clear goal scoring opportunities it was clear who controlled the game. Shahktar was patient in their build up, they passed it amongst the team with supreme confidence and were always aided by their captain, Darijo Srna, who never passed up an opportunity to cause havoc down the right wing. The Brazilian flair pulsating through this team seemed infectious at times. Each player for Shahktar Donetsk had an acute understanding of the capabilities of one another, they could anticipate each other, put the ball where the player was going to be before they got there, and most importantly drop back and defend as a unit. In the aftermath of this match not much was made of Shahktar’s defense, but I say bravo, they defended as a team, and similarly attacked as one as well.
Bremen’s avoidance of midfield play was frustrating at times. They have good passers of the ball in players like Frings, good dribblers in players like Ozil, and most importantly a man that seemed on a mission in Pizarro. However, their inability to affect the game in midfield showed their frailties. As a result of not being able to sustain play in midfield, the service to their forwards suffered, with Pizarro dropping back too often to try and affect play, their over reliance on Diego to control their midfield is ultimately what cost them dearly. There were too many players missing in action today for Bremen, not enough brave men to stand and demand to be counted, they gave a poor account of their achievements up to that point in the competition and suffered the ultimate price as a result of it.
Congratulations to Shahktar Donetsk, worthy winners of this European final. Though all the goals scored could be attributable to defensive mistakes, it was clearly there for all to see which team came there to be champions.
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