Magdeburg/DUR – Otmar Schork is happy and happy about his 1. FC Magdeburg’s good start to the season, but despite second place he also says: “We are not yet a top team!”
15 points, unbeaten, strong in terms of football: the FCM is writing a lot of positive headlines this second division season. For Managing Director Schork, this is confirmation of his work. “We see a further development of our team, which is what we were striving for with the composition of the squad,” said Schork on Monday at a media round in the Avnet Arena.
“The trend is absolutely positive, but I’m not interested in the table at all, it can also become a mortgage,” said Schork the day after the 2-2 home game against Greuther Fürth. He has no reason to dream, but he says confidently: “We didn’t get the points wrongly.”
Schork sees his FCM squad planning confirmed
The 67-year-old sees the consistent further development of the squad as the main reason for the sporting success. “We were promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga with many talented players who came from the fourth division. But then you realize that it’s going to be a different level,” says Schork looking back: “You could see that one or two of them player reaches his limits.”
The FCM now has more money available for transfers. “We were able to move into a different drawer again in the summer and are gradually getting better quality in the squad,” said Schork, who also emphasized the breadth of the new squad. This means the club can react better to injuries and poor form.
“We were able to cope with the loss of Baris Atik, which would have been unthinkable last year,” said Schork about the top star’s failure for large parts of the season so far: “That’s a good sign that we’re not dependent on one player.”
Schork sees Martijn Kaars as an improvement in quality to Luca Schuler
Schork cited Martijn Kaars as an example of the new quality in the squad. The striker, who was brought in from the Dutch second division in the summer, has hit the ground running and has already scored four goals this season. “In the previous season, Luca Schuler was the best shooter with six goals. We have improved the quality,” said Schork about Schuler, who moved to Hertha BSC Berlin.
Despite all the successes and records, he does not yet see his team as the top team in the 2nd Bundesliga. This was recently shown in the 2-2 draw against Fürth, where the team lost a 2-0 lead. The FCM was also lucky in some games like the one in Cologne or Darmstadt.
“We have improved a few things, but we are not flawless,” summed up the FCM squad planner. The defense is more stable and the attack is more effective. This development should now be continued “step by step,” said Schork, but he found a fly in the ointment: “We would have preferred to win our home games.”
