The coach’s handwriting was clearly visible, even if one shouldn’t overestimate the result.
“We implemented the focus of the training week well,” said Robert Klauß, summarizing the game against the Bundesliga club after the final whistle. They had been in the game against the ball and you saw that time and again on the pitch in Rottach-Egern. Again and again, the FCN captured the ball from the Hoffenheim team in the build-up game, and the club quickly came up with scoring chances. So the 2: 1 by Lohkemper and the 5: 2 by Celebi fell after conquering the ball in midfield by Krauss and Rhein. In addition, you could see in phases how the club resorted to attack pressing and thus repeatedly embarrassed the Hoffenheimers.
The other thing that the FCN embarrassed the Bundesliga club with were corners. So the 1: 1 by Sörensen, the 3: 1 by Knothe and the 4: 1 by Lohkemper all fell directly or indirectly from corner kicks. It was noticeable that the club basically sent two players outside to take the corner and also repeatedly exploited this situation to briefly take the corner and then unexpectedly turn the ball towards or away from the goal. Regardless of whether Singh and Geis or Schleimer and Rhein took the corners, in both cases it led to opportunities.
Of course, not everything went smoothly: Hoffenheim was able to use a loss of the ball after a corner from FCN for an early lead, had several opportunities after they successfully disrupted the club from behind in the flat construction and came on the counterattack to 4: 2. In addition, the FCN lacked accuracy in the playback before the break in the last third. After the break, things were a lot better, the club even more grippy in the duels and that although Robert Klauß let the four-man row in midfield continue to play until the 61st minute before he even replaced two U21 players with Tim Latteier and David Siebert.
On the one hand, it goes without saying that the opponent played the second row in some positions (goal, central midfield, storm) after another part of the squad had won 1-0 against SpVgg Greuther Fürth at noon. On the other hand, Posch, Skov, Kramaric, Vogt and Akpoguma played a lot of top-class players at the Hoffenheim team. On the one hand, it should also be said that Hoffenheim came out of the training camp while the FCN is now going to the training camp. On the other hand, the playfulness is to be assessed positively one way or another, a lot worked, processes looked good, opportunities were created. On the one hand, such a victory certainly gives confidence. On the other hand, at the FCN you know at the latest since January also that a 5: 2 against a European Cup participant does not create any guarantees.
Statistics
Hoffenheim: Philipp (66th Noll) – Akpoguma, Posch, Hübner (66th Rüth), Skov (76th Brenet) – Vogt (76th Bogarde) – Geiger (76th Ott), Elmkies – Kramarić (66th Sahin) – Bebou ( 76th Ekene), Klauss (76th Kölle)
FCN: Mathenia – Valentini (46th Sorg), Margreitter (46th Mühl), Sörensen (46th Knothe), craftsman (46th Celebi) – Krauß (61st Rhein), Geis (61st Latteier) – Singh (61st Schleimer) , Hack (61st Siebert) – Schleusener (46th Zrelak), Dovedan (46th Lohkemper)
Tore: 1: 0 Klauss (3.), 1: 1 Sörensen (31.), 1: 2 Lohkemper (54.), 1: 3 Knothe (56.), 1: 4 Lohkemper (69.), 2: 4 Klauss ( 71.), 2: 5 Celebi (77.)
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Line-up 1st half -
Line-up from the 61st minute
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