The defense is still the best in the league, but things are working better up front too
Offensively efficient, defensively hardworking: Offenbach’s flank player Rafael Garcia has been involved in every third OFC goal in the last seven games. Serkan Firat (left) is now enormously effective as a ball conqueror.
© Huebner
Offenbach – Sreto Ristic, one thing is particularly important: balance. The coach of the regional soccer division Kickers Offenbach means the necessary balance between offensive and defensive. At the beginning of the season there was an imbalance at OFC, which after nine games – as in the previous round – had the best defense in the league (seven goals conceded), but also the second weakest attack (eight goals scored).
The 0: 1 home defeat against the back then Schott Mainz was both a low and a turning point. Since this apparently salutary bankruptcy, things have been looking up again, also because the balance is now right. Nine games have passed since then. In these, the Kickers only allowed five more goals – despite the failure of three central defenders – and underpinned their status as a bulwark of the league. Since then, they have scored a remarkable 27 goals, an average of 1.94 per game. This is the third best value in the southwest – behind SV Elversberg (2.44) and SSV Ulm 1846 (2.0). The OFC has to deal with both of them in the last three games before the winter break. First, however, on Sunday (2 p.m.) the no less difficult game at FC Homburg (6th), which has been undefeated for six games and most recently inflicted the first bankruptcy on Elversberg with 1: 2 after 15 games in a row without defeat. The Kickers won the first leg against Homburg 1-0. Back then it was a classic OFC result. In the meantime, more goals are usually scored in games with Offenbacher participation – especially on the other side. For different reasons. Among other things, since the 0: 1 defeat against Schott Mainz, Ristic has waived a classic clearer in front of the defense, which Osarenren Okungbowa had given up until then. The task is now shared by the two “eights” and “sixes” Tunay Deniz, who at the same time stimulates the game from the depths. The basic line-up is therefore a tad more offensive, without having had a negative impact on defensive strength so far.
Zengin makes his competitive debut
Kickers Offenbach’s coach Sreto Ristic quickly ticked off the bumpy 2-1 win in the third round of the Hessen Cup at group division club 1. FC TSG Königstein. “It was important to keep going and that nobody was injured.” Both succeeded on the small artificial turf in the dim floodlight. Managing director Thomas Sobotzik thought it was similar. “We are one round further and were able to give players playing time that were previously used little or not at all.” Defender Enes Zengin (18) made his competitive debut, “Six” Mateo Andacic (24) played 90 minutes in the OFC jersey for the first time. jm
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The pace of the game has also increased significantly since then. Which especially benefits the game in depth and thus the outside of the kickers. This is symbolized by Rafael Garcia. The 13th and so far last access, which was compulsory on the last transfer day (August 31), has opened up a lot. In the last seven games in which the OFC scored 24 goals, he was involved in nine goals as a shooter (4) or assists (5) – around every third one. With that he even trumped Offenbach’s best scorer, Dejan Bozic (8 goals, 6 assists), who recorded “only” eight scorer points in the same period. The fact that right winger Serkan Firat also managed his five scorer points (1 goal / 4 assists) in this period confirms the significantly increased efficiency in the offensive game.
In order for this not to be at the expense of defensive stability, it requires that all players work backwards. This is particularly noticeable on the outside, where right (Maik Vetter / Serkan Firat) and left (Ronny Marcos / Rafael Garcia) duos have established that support each other. In particular, the defensive behavior of Firat should be emphasized, who as an offensive player learned to shift into reverse gear and repeatedly conquered the ball with great commitment in his own half. The man who was best known for his fine left foot at the beginning of his time at Kickers has become a player who embodies the balance required by Ristic.
And something else contributes to the fact that the balance is now right at OFC: Ristic was delighted to see that the standard situations that he identified as a “weapon” last season are slowly developing into one again. Significant for this were the two goals by Okungbowa – each after a resting ball and a rehearsed variant. Firat had always carried out the standard.
It is also striking that the OFC only received five penalties on 42 match days last season (four were converted), but in the first half of the current season it was four in 18 games. First Elia Soriano forgave, then Tunay Deniz converted three times in a row.
From Christian Düncher
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