Found this which is an interesting piece (and hopefully accurate, it is quite lengthy)
Forget Barnsley and LASK Linz – Werder Bremen is the true home of Ismaël’s footballing identity
When Sam Allardyce announced his exit from the Hawthorns in mid-May, I can’t say I expected to spend my summer scouring through footage of a domestic double-winning Werder Bremen outfit of the early noughties. And yet, after Albion’s timely appointment of Valérien Ismaël, here I am.
For many of us, Ismaël’s name was a fairly unfamiliar one prior to his appointment. But for those who were aware of his impressive track record at both LASK Linz in Austria, and more recently Barnsley, there was an optimistic sense of intrigue surrounding the appointment.
On one hand, Ismaël could finally offer a floundering West Brom side a long overdue identity, but whilst his commitment to high-intensity gegenpressing would be welcomed by fans and the club’s hierarchy alike, the incredibly direct football on show at Barnsley would be far less palatable.
Thankfully, Ismaël dismissed the idea of employing a similarly pragmatic playstyle in the West Midlands, stating in first press conference: “The philosophy is high-intensity football, high press but with this team we have the possibility to have more control in possessionâ€.
Yet with Ismaël’s Barnsley side representing the total converse to this early promise of controlled possession, can we really glean much from his time in Yorkshire and Austria?
Well, yes and no.
We know that Ismaël tends to favour a 3-4-3 wherever he’s managed, preferring to use attacking, overlapping wingbacks either side of a solid three-man defence, to provide goal scoring opportunities for a front three. His trademark gegenpressing style is central to his footballing philosophy too, so we can obviously expect to see plenty of enthusiastic harrying of the opposition during his tenure.
Beyond that though, Ismaël’s on-field identity is malleable and dependent on the use of the ‘right’ players rather than the ‘best’. It will take a full pre-season to identify the right players in such a unique system; a system inspired by Ismaël’s decorated playing days in Germany (rather than during his managerial career), and surprisingly not from his spell at Bayern Munich either.
No, in fact the Frenchman’s knack for transforming mediocre sides into feared and fancied underdogs stems from his debut season on loan at the Weserstadion: the home of Werder Bremen and also home to one of the most unlikely triumphs in modern German footballing history.
Prior to his memorable stint at Werder Bremen, Albion’s new gaffer carved out a successful, if injury-hampered playing career as a centre back mostly hopping between Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga. Three separate stints at his hometown club of Strasbourg preceded his defining loan move to Bremen at the beginning of the 2003/04 season; a move which would land the then 27-year-old Frenchman an unlikely domestic double in his debut season under club legend Thomas Schaaf.
Now, Thomas Schaaf is probably a name you haven’t heard before – don’t worry you’re not alone – but after casting an eye over his league and cup-winning tactics, the similarities between his and Ismaël’s approach at LASK and Barnsley is uncanny.
Schaaf, a true one-club man at Bremen during his playing days, blew the Bundesliga away with an unconventionally gung-ho attacking style which accentuated the talents of what was a good, rather than great squad. He didn’t need a team of Ballacks or a Pizarros to achieve the perceivably unachievable – he needed the ‘right’ players.
You can probably see where I’m going with this.
After inheriting a Bremen team under serious risk relegation in 1999, Schaaf performed miracles over the coming seasons. He propelled the team from 13th to 7th in his first full season, before recording back-to-back 6th places between 2001 and the spring of 2003. But it was the 2003/04 season where his Bremen side truly came alive.
At the centre of Schaaf’s genius was his tactical setup. His tactic of choice was as unorthodox as it was brave, opting to set up in a 3-3-2-2 formation. Seriously, 3-3-2-2.
In front of the experienced Andreas Reinke in net, Schaaf opted for three centre halves, anchored by Ismaël himself. At an intimidating 6’3, Ismaël was a huge physical and calming presence at the heart of the Bremen defence, a defence which, statistically, ranked 2nd best in the Bundesliga in their title-winning campaign – the season prior to Ismaël’s arrival it ranked 12th out of 18 sides.
To Ismaël’s left was the impressive Serbian, Mladen Krstajić, a rangy left back-turned-centre back whose quiet ascendancy from the domestic Serbian league prospect to Bundesliga heavyweight won many plaudits. Canadian Paul Stalteri, a shorter and more mobile right back who, like Krstajić, transitioned into a centre half and marshalled the right side of the defence behind the marauding right wing-back, Inter Milan loanee, Ümit Davala.
Davala, and his left-sided counterpart Fabian Ernst, bombed up and down the flanks. In many ways, they were typical modern-day wing-backs a decade ahead of their time. Between them in the centre sat Frank Baumann – a classically imposing screening midfielder who was just at home at centre half. He gave, not only Davala and the devastating Ernst the freedom to roam forwards, but much-needed balance to a midfield accommodating two more creative central midfielders ahead of him to influence the game in the opposition’s half.
These midfielders came in the shape of the reliable Krisztián Lisztes, and the supremely talented Johan Micoud. Micoud, in particular, was crucial to Schaaf’s plans. He was the creative link between the industrious defensive players and the deadly forward tandem of Ivan Klasnić, who would later sign for Baggies favourite Gary Megson at Bolton, and the Bundesliga player of the season, AÃlton.
Bremen, in this set up, were incredibly exciting. In 16 of their 34 league games, they scored at least three goals, and they were only shut out three times all season. Their 79 league goals that season was the most by any Bundesliga side since a Lothar Matthaus-inspired Bayern Munich in 1987/88. So where were all these goals coming from in the 3-3-2-2?
Based on some rudimentary research, the simple answer is AÃlton. 28 goals in 33 games speaks for itself, although his goal threat was not news to Bundesliga defenders. He’d already racked up 58 goals in the last four campaigns combined. What was new though, was how he was scoring.
AÃlton’s iconic free-scoring season was underpinned by devastating left-footed finishing, often latching on to whipped, low crosses from the left or swiftly breaching stretched defences on the break. More interestingly though, Bremen’s Brazilian benefited from two players in particular, whose form skyrocketed in that season: Fabian Ernst and Ivan Klasnić.
Previously, both players had been pretty toothless in attacking areas until this point in their Bremen careers. Ernst’s 135 Bundesliga appearances had resulted in only 11 goal contributions from either left back or left midfield. Meanwhile, 23-year-old striker Klasnić had played 35 games in two injury-hit seasons for Die Werderaner, but only started six of them.
However, Schaaf somehow found a way to maximise these underperforming talents. Ernst and Klasnić both recorded 11 league assists in 03/04, only a certain Michael Ballack for Bayern assisted more often (12). Klasnić also popped up with 13 goals, taking his personal goals and assists tally to 24, and Werder’s strike partnership to an eye-watering 60. 60 in a 34-game season. For reference, the famed Gayle (25) and Rodriguez (27) partnership amassed 52 goals and assists combined in our 46-game 2018/19 Championship season…
But what has Bremen’s eighteen-year-old success got to do with Ismaël’s current project at Albion?
Well there are more reasonable comparisons between these two seemingly unrelated sides than you might think…
Despite Werder’s success that year – which included a mammoth 23-game unbeaten run in the league – after a goalless draw with north German rivals Hannover 96 in April of 2004, Ismaël spoke to the media post-game. Clearly disappointed with the result, he declared, “If you want to become a champion you have to score goalsâ€.
Almost two decades on, these words are particularly pertinent as he undertakes his first season at West Brom.
Not only will there be pressure from some sections of the Hawthorn’s faithful to achieve an immediate Premier League return, but there is a stylistic pressure, nay expectation, to get this faltering Albion side scoring far more regularly. Given the vast array of footballing ideals that Ismaël shares with his former boss: their obsession with teamplay, their unwavering belief in selecting the right players for the system rather than the best players and their commitment to a feverish team press with an organised three-man defence, is it time for Bremen 2.0 in B71?
Not entirely, no. That being said, in my very amateur opinion, this iteration of Ismaël-ball will be closer to Schaaf’s Bremen than it will be to Barnsley. The similarities in the playing squads, especially in key roles, are there in abundance.
Townsend and Furlong are made for that Ernst-Davala wing back role, whether in a 3-3-2-2 or the 3-4-3 that Ismaël employed in Yorkshire last season. Neither are known for their defensive acumen, but their offensive play is far better than most second tier full backs and an Ernst-like season for Townsend would be very welcome.
Bartley and Ismaël games are hardly worlds apart. O’Shea is versatile, mobile, and defensively sound à la Stalteri, and rumours of Trevor Chalobah signing for the Baggies are not surprising when you compare him to defensive midfield lynchpin Frank Baumann. Both are 6’3, both represent great ball-wining options in the centre of midfield or in defence.
It may seem farfetched, but I can also optimistically envisage Grant and Robinson linking up in a not too dissimilar fashion to Klasnić and AÃlton, as part of a front three rather than a front two (maybe without the obscene goalscoring records though). Both are mobile, proven goal scorers at this level, and much like Klasnić at Werder before his breakout season, Grant has struggled to find his feet in the West Midlands. You never know.
The most intriguing like-for-like comparison that can be made between squad personnel is that between, new signing Alex Mowatt, a Brunt-esque set piece specialist with a cultured left peg, and Johan Micoud. Micoud was the silky, highly technical, dead ball expert with a cultured right peg who ran the show in Bremen’s midfield, who genuinely garnered Zidane comparisons by Bayern Munich manager Ottmar Hitzfeld during his time in Northern Germany. Whilst I am not actually indirectly likening Mowatt to Zidane, it speaks volumes that Ismaël prioritised Mowatt’s free signing, and has publicly stated that he is relying on him to disseminate his unusual philosophies to the squad on the pitch. With Pereira’s departure from the club becoming increasingly likely, it appears that Mowatt may be the new creative hub of a refurbished Albion midfield.
Individuals aside, Ismaël has to now replicate Schaaf’s ultimate quality: fixing a broken team and revitalising stagnant careers. That is not an easy task given the demanding and cruel nature of Championship football, but a four-year contract represents the club’s ambitious long-term approach to reclaiming its spot in the Premier League.
Bremen wasn’t built in a day. Schaaf won the double in his fourth season, and it may take every year of Ismaël’s contract to achieve the club’s goal of promotion, but as long as the Albion hierarchy trust Ismaël, it’s a very realistic outcome.
A ball hasn’t been kicked yet. There’s only been one confirmed signing too. Yet it’s hard to deny that Ismaël’s face fits at the Hawthorns right now and he’s been making all the right noises regarding the academy, delivering exciting football and developing a culture of hard graft and togetherness.
The tactical and philosophical inspiration from Schaaf is clear wherever Ismaël’s managed before, but the Frenchman will be no pastiche of his one-time gaffer whilst he’s at West Brom. This is his project.
This is Ismaël’s West Brom 1.0.