Bremen resigned to miss out on Europe

Werder Bremen's director of sport Klaus Allofs has conceded his side's hopes of playing in Europe next season are practically over and that he is now looking to next season following last night`s 4-1 defeat to Stuttgart. Bremen could slip five points behind the top seven with three games of the season left this weekend and Allofs no longer feels his side can compete at the highest level. "It is going to be very tough to reach the Europa League now," he said on Sky television. "I am also now looking towards next season. We played against a very good side and you need to play extraordinarily well to beat them, but we did not manage that." Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf added: "You could see the difference today between a side which is brimming with confidence and one which is more than just shy. Even when we go in front, we can't settle down and look more composed." Stuttgart can start to look forward to European football next season with just one win from their remaining three games needed to secure a top-seven finish. "I think we can say that this was a fantastic win," said coach Bruno Labbadia. "It was a delight to watch my team play. We can now look forward to a nice long weekend." Stuttgart will be paying particularly close attention to the outcome of Borussia Monchengladbach's clash with Cologne tomorrow. Yesterday's win over Bremen not only extended their unbeaten record to nine matches, but it reduced the deficit on Gladbach to just four points with a place in the UEFA Champions League becoming a possibility for the Swabians.