Why Füllkrug keeps scoring at Werder Bremen, according to a sports scientist

Nine Bundesliga goals, three in the cup, and a goal in seven league games in a row. Niclas Füllkrug is the hottest striker in Germany right now. But what is behind it?

Daniel Memmert thinks the answer is partly in the head. He heads the Institute of Training Science at the German Sport University Cologne and studies performance in professional football.

What happened?

Füllkrug, 33, came back to Werder Bremen in July after a difficult spell abroad, at West Ham United and AC Milan. Before the season, Werder were seen as relegation candidates. Now he is pulling the whole team along.

On November 1, he was also called up again for the German national team, even though some experts had said he was too old.

Why is he so good right now?

Memmert points to a comfort factor. Research shows home advantage comes less from the fans and more from feeling at ease. Füllkrug knows the dressing room, the stadium and the staff. Memmert compares it to the feeling of unlocking your own front door after a hectic day.

Then there is responsibility. According to Memmert, studies show it produces the strongest intrinsic motivation, meaning drive that comes from within. In Bremen, Füllkrug is the target man and the face of the club. Coach Daniel Thioune has given him that feeling and built the team's game around him.

Memmert also sees a leader. Füllkrug motivates teammates and picks them up when things go badly. "He is a father figure," Memmert says, calling it a very nice human quality.

What about the famous "hot hand", the idea that a player in form just keeps scoring? Memmert says there is no scientific evidence for it, so Füllkrug's run cannot be proven empirically. Still, constant success surely does something to him.

Füllkrug himself says he looks from game to game and never sets out to score in any of them. Memmert calls that smart: lower expectations mean less pressure.

What's next?

Next week Füllkrug joins the national team under Jürgen Klopp. Memmert says that is a completely different environment, and we will have to wait and see whether he can deliver there too. At Werder, his confidence comes from a role that is built around him.