Almeida’s stunning strike raises expectations in Bremen

General manager calls for consistency from Portugal striker

Werder Bremen general manager Klaus Allofs hopes Hugo Almeida’s stunning goal in the weekend victory over Cologne will spur the Portuguese striker on to perform on a more consistent basis.

The Portuguese scored one of the goals of the week in the Bundesliga, rifling in a left-footed shot from almost twenty-five metres early in the second half at the Weserstadion on Sunday as Bremen ran out 3-1 winners over Armando Petit’s side. (Watch Almeida’s brilliant strike by clicking on the screen below)

Almeida has been somewhat of an enigma since moving to Germany from Porto in the summer of 2006, with scoring streaks and crucial goals mixed with spells out of the team and occasional criticism from observers.

With an average of around a goal every three Bundesliga matches, the 24-year-old’s track record is more than respectable. However, former Bremen midfielder Allofs, who now works as general manager and holds a strong influence within the club, feels Almeida needs to add consistency to his game if he is to fulfil his potential.





“I would love to see him perform like that every week and score such goals,” Allofs said. “We’d be happy to keep buying new nets. Of course, it would be unfair to expect that consistently but he proved today that the demands we have put on him are certainly not unrealistic.

“We have regularly commented on the massive amount of potential that he possesses. He’s got the pace, a powerful shot, and he’s agile enough to make a lot more of his ability. Maybe it’s a success like today that he needs to give him that shove in the right direction and inspire him to work even more intensively.”

The goal at the weekend was Almeida’s first in the league this season, with five goals in all competitions so far for the fourteen-time Portugal international. Almeida will be hoping to keep his place in the side for next Sunday’s trip to fifth-placed Hamburg.