This was meant to be the second-tier season to beat them all in Germany, and not just in a domestic context. Schalke and Werder Bremen filling the relegation places in May 2021 meant they joined Hamburg, Hannover, Fortuna Düsseldorf and Nürnberg in Bundesliga 2, before we even get to names such as St Pauli and Dynamo Dresden. This weekend, Werder won a five-goal thriller at Hamburg in the Nordderby to stay top of the table.
After a turbulent season which has included the departure of coach Markus Anfang after a federal investigation into him faking a vaccination certificate (for which he was eventually fined and banned by the DFB), Werder won’t be counting any chickens just yet. Whether they return to the top tier or not, it seems as if next season’s Bundesliga 2 will be even more laden with big names than the present one.
