The dismissal of Jesse Marsch is also a heavy defeat for Oliver Mintzlaff and RB Leipzig’s lax planning. In Berlin, a late career causes a stir and Wolfsburg longs for its “old” defensive axis.
How Gladbach angered his fans and RB burned a coach
Two debacles and the different reasons for them: Borussia Mönchengladbach’s historic system failure against Freiburg meant the second bitter slap in a row after the defeat in the derby against Cologne.
Actually, the team wanted to make amends with their fans, then came in 0: 6 in 37 minutes and now has a record of the derby and a home game against Freiburg – before that three games in a row without a point – with zero points and 1:10 goals . That is out of the question and is likely to cause some aftermath in relation to the fans, but also in the internal climate between coach and team.
Less bad on paper, but ultimately even more devastating was Leipzig’s appearance in Berlin. And he relentlessly pointed out the planning failure of those responsible at RB. For the first time in years, Oliver Mintzlaff had to hire a trainer without Ralf Rangnick as a competent authority and went wrong with Jesse Marsch.
Not because the American was not good enough in his core competency. But because they expected things from a new coach in Leipzig that they simply cannot do at all. Marsch was supposed to change the team’s content and, after several bitter defeats in big games, finally equip it with the necessary winning mentality.
However, Marsch, who was at least new to the Bundesliga, had to tackle it without an experienced staff – Leipzig had lost most of the successful team in the course of the Nagelsmann transfer to Bayern. And there is no sports director in Leipzig who takes part in discussions with the trainer, stands by his side, advises him. The coach change after less than half of the season and eleventh place in the league are primarily not due to Jesse Marsch – it is more a product of the messed up planning in the summer.
Hoffenheim’s exemplary handling of Kramaric
Georgino Rutter remains the player of the hour at TSG Hoffenheim. After a rather mixed season, the teenager is finally arriving in the Kraichgau. In the third victory in a row, Rutter shone again as a goalscorer, spinning through Frankfurt’s defensive line at times.
The fact that Rutter is currently getting so much playing time is also due to a remarkable measure taken by Hoffenheim. Andrej Kramaric was last benched twice in a row by coach Sebastian Hoeneß. What at first glance seems like a strange decision made by the team’s most dangerous attacker is actually absolutely exemplary behavior.
Kramaric sustained a serious head injury in qualifying for the World Cup with Croatia at the beginning of November and even lost consciousness in the game against Russia. Many Bundesliga clubs also deal with the aftermath of a head injury rather laxly, then quickly throw their players back into the fray. Hoffenheim, however, took Kramaric completely out of the squad in the first game after that against Leipzig and initially only put the player on the bench in Fürth and now against Frankfurt.
The measure was fueled by a metatarsal injury that Kramaric recently sustained. But the general approach, not rushing the player, but slowly bringing him back, is definitely worthy of praise and an example for other clubs as well.
The outstanding transfer summer from Mainz 05
Of course, it fits into the picture that Anton Stach scored his first Bundesliga goal against VfL Wolfsburg and Florian Kohfeldt. Stach was trained for two years with the second team of the wolves before he made the leap into the Bundesliga, Mainz and the U21 European champion in just one season at Fürth.
And Kohfeldt? He was Stach’s youth coach in Bremen, supported the development of the player for several years – who, as a thank you, now brought him the second Bundesliga defeat in a row. Stach and its development in Mainz are representative of all the other additions that Rheinhessen made last summer. Stach, Silvan Widmer, Marcus Ingvartsen, Anderson Lucoqui and above all Jae-Sung Lee are perfect transfers that have already proven their worth for the team after almost half the season.
While Lucoqui is currently out due to an injury and the loaned Ingvartsen is still in the status of the noble joker, Stach, Widmer and Lee have long been integral parts of the team. Mainz spent a comparatively manageable six million euros on all entrances and not spent a cent more than was previously taken. Mainz ‘squad has improved sustainably as a result, the team is slowly adopting Svensson structures. There is hardly a better way of doing the first steps in a long-term development process.
