AMSTERDAM – With Aron Johannsson now signed, sealed and delivered to Werder Bremen, stateside observers may wonder if the US forward can hit the right notes in the Bundesliga. We're here to help.
There are always several factors in weighing the potential success of a transfer, both for the player and his new club. Let's take a quick lap around the bigger ones.
The Team
Werder Bremen are four-time Bundesliga champs, have won six German Cups and were UEFA Cup (now Europa League) runners up only six years ago. However, the northerners are now in a transition phase, with 15 field players younger than the 24-year-old Johannsson on the preseason roster.
Since a third-place finish in 2010, Bremen have finished no higher than ninth. Most of the blame falls on the back, where they conceded between 58 and 66 goals in every season of the current decade.
Fortunately, the Bremen offense traditionally plays to win, providing 50 or more goals in a season a whopping 25 times since 1980. They hit that number on the nose last term to end up sixth among Bundesliga attacks.
The Fit
Johannsson has specifically been brought in by new boss Viktor Skrypnyk to replace the team's last leading scorer, Franco Di Santo. With Di Santo's 13 league goals gone to Schalke, the American will be counted on for production.
Even if Johannsson starts his Bundesliga tenure a bit cold, Bremen will persist with trying get his pilot light lit. They refused to take "no" for an answer from AZ Alkmaar, signed him to a four-year deal and now expect him to make the locals forget Di Santo.
Last season, the team varied between the 4-4-2 diamond and the "empty bucket" formations. However, with forwards Nils Petersen and David Selke sold along with Di Santo on the summer market, Skrypnyk is more capable of rolling out the 4-3-3 that was the team's trademark during their recent heyday.
The Competition
The only other true center forward in the squad is fellow new arrival Anthony Ujah, who is also 24 years of age. The Nigeria striker has 12 goals in 44 career Bundesliga matches, including 10 for FC Cologne last season. He's off to a head start training with Bremen, and scored twice in a friendly win over West Ham United this past weekend.
Ujah has good wheels for a target man, and a non-stop motor effectively turns him bullish on rushes up the gut. He is not only a more direct type of forward than Johannsson, but at this time probably superior in the hold-up game (he averaged just 1.6 handling turnovers at Cologne last term). On the other hand, the American has a clear advantage when it comes to the passing game and positive link play.
Long story short, our man is likely an immediate starter if the manager goes with two forwards and he will have a fight on his hands if the 4-3-3 returns. There is also 20-year-old academy product Melvyn Lorenzen to eventually contend with, but he is just now working his way back from knee troubles.
The Playmakers
Splitting time between the No. 10 slot and the left side of midfield, Zlatko Junuzovic broke out last season to notch 15 league assists – good enough for a second place tie on the league chart with Bayern Munich star Thomas Muller. In addition to owning one of the best restart serves in the Bundesliga, the Austria international has an array of lead passes for busting the offside trap. He and Johannsson should get along well.
The USMNT hit man will also enjoying the playmaking services of Germany Under-20 international Levin Oztunali, who will spend the coming season on loan from Bayer Leverkusen. The teenager pitched in three assists in 16 Bremen appearances over the back half of last season.
There are also a few set-up men available to work from true wing positions (unsurprisingly, natural central playmaker Junuzovic loves to cut inside with the ball if fielded wide left). Netherlands winger Eljero Elia is back from a Southampton loan; his Eredivisie pedigree provides a quick platform for understanding with Johannsson. Hard-dribbling veteran Fin Bartels loves to counter and is perhaps the most likely to work combos or play through balls for the strikers.
With skipper Clemens Fritz now heading for age 35, crosses from the wingbacks have largely dried up. In fact, as a team, Bremen only shipped a dozen serves from the flank per game last season. Considering their record at the back, it's probably for the best anyway.
The Forecast
Assuming Johannsson stays reasonably fit and starts 25-30 league games, there is no reason he can't hit double figures for a runnin' and gunnin' side that sometimes has to chase games. And if 10 goals sounds like low ambition, just remember that total would instantly give him the best ever single-season haul for an American in the Bundesliga.
