Jens Stage continues to deliver for Werder Bremen

The Dane has been one of the league’s best in his position this season.

Photo by Sona Maleterova/Getty Images

If you heard the news of a Werder Bremen goal this weekend, and you were asked who you thought scored it, there’d really only be one name on your mind.

That name would be Jens Stage, and you would be absolutely correct. On the road to VfB Stuttgart, the midfielder gave his side the lead in the first half with a well-worked goal, playing a one-two with his wingback before hitting a first-time strike into the bottom corner.

While Bremen did concede later on, his moment of magic was enough to secure them an important point in the fight for survival. It was the second straight contest where Stage made a difference, as his brace in the Nordderby against led to a wonderful victory. Now they’re all but safe.

It was another highlight for the midfielder, who has become a real star at the Weserstadion.

Goalscoring hero

Even though Stage plays in the middle of the pitch, he’s turned into Werder’s main threat in the final third.

His goal on Sunday was his 10th of the campaign. That’s a landmark worth celebrating for most strikers, but that’s a remarkable number for a midfielder. He thrives on being the extra man in the box, coming in late when defenders have already picked up their markers. When he headed home versus Hamburg, he was practically left alone by himself.

It’s especially impressive considering Stage plays for a Bremen side that isn’t blessed with attacking talent. Simply put, he has double the amount of goals as the 2nd top-scorer at the club. Forward Justin Njinmah, who alternates between the wing and being the central striker, only has five to his name.

There are a number of players on three goals, those being Jovan Milosevic, Marco Grüll, Samuel Mbangula, and Romano Schmid. After that no one has more than one. Die Werderaner’s attacking issues are clear for everyone to see, as they have just 36 goals from their 31 games. Relegation-threatened Wolfsburg has more, and last-place FC Heidenheim has only one less.

That makes Stage’s impact that much more important. There’s reason to believe that if the team replaced him with an average midfielder, who only hangs around his part of the pitch, that they would be set for relegation this campaign. He recently missed three matches due to injury and suspension, and Bremen lost two of those, while stealing a win against the aforementioned struggling Wolfsburg.

He doesn’t even take penalties.

The great Dane won’t ever have too many chances fall his way, but he makes the most of them when they do come around. He’s a clinical finisher, so much so that he ranks amongst the Bundesliga’s elite. Before this weekend, the Bundesliga created a graphic to showcase the leaders in effective shooting.

It’s no surprise to see Harry Kane leading the way, followed by RB Leipzig’s young star Yan Diomande. In 3rd place you will find the aforementioned Stage. Despite only having an expected goals (xG) tally of 4.97, he had scored nine goals from those opportunities. That’s more than four goals over his expected number, which proves how lethal he has become.

The midfielder’s numbers improved in the Stuttgart matchup. His goal came from an xG of only 0.06, highlighting the quality of the finish. Unfortunately he did mess up his figures a little when he failed to capitalize on a loose ball at the back post a few yards out from goal. Either way, his numbers are still astounding.

What the future holds

For Bremen and Stage, this sets up an interesting summer.

The player is very happy at the Weserstadion, and he’s under contract for the next two years. The club is just as happy with him, and they’d love to keep him around. He was even given the captain’s armband during Marco Friedl’s absence in the team.

With Stage leading the charge, Werder are planning to make another push for a European place. Things are looking promising under new manager Daniel Thioune, and with an expected sale of Karim Coulibaly for upwards of 50 million Euros, there should be funds to improve the squad around him.

However, there’s a chance that teams across Europe will come calling for the Danish midfielder. Clubs with deeper pockets, and clubs with continental places already clinched will be hard to turn down.

If Bremen can’t promise Stage that they will make the next step soon, maybe it would be best to let him move on to bigger opportunities. He’s already 29, and he won’t have many years left at the highest level. A fair bid would have to come in, but 20ish million might be enough to cement a transfer.

The good news is that the Green-Whites can worry about that later. For now, they are going to enjoy practically securing their Bundesliga status for another season, and they are going to enjoy having Jens Stage and his goals around for the remainder of the campaign.