When Marcel Rapp took over Holstein Kiel after the ninth second division matchday, the “Storks” were only one point apart from the relegation place. Four months later, KSV is safely in midfield and has been unbeaten for five games.
At the beginning of the season, Kiel faced a huge challenge. The departure of top performers such as Jae-sung Lee (Mainz) and Janni Serra (Bielefeld) weighed heavily, and the disappointment over the surprising departure of coach Ole Werner was also great. In addition, there was the mental burden of having failed conceivably in the Bundesliga relegation of the previous season.
The season had barely started when KSV needed a “turnaround”, a new impetus, a way out of the crisis.
The “improver” from Holstein Kiel
It was found. Schleswig-Holstein recently celebrated their second win in a row with a 1-0 win over Fortuna Düsseldorf and have been unbeaten in five competitive games. The relegation place that Kiel occupied after the 14th match day is now eight points away.
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“I’m very confident that we won’t have anything to do with relegation. It’s about laying the foundations in training. Then we’ll reward ourselves with points,” said coach Marcel Rapp, who took over the helm after the ninth day of the game . The interim record of the 42-year-old in Kiel is remarkable: five wins, five draws and only two defeats in twelve games. If only the games since he took office counted, KSV would be sixth in the table.
Rapp stands for tactical flexibility
For Rapp, Kiel is the first station as the main coach. At TSG Hoffenheim he was active as a youth coach for eight years and had only taken over the professional team from the Bundesliga for four games on an interim basis. He wasn’t the biggest name on the coaching market when suddenly a replacement was needed in Kiel. But Uwe Stöver was convinced that Rapp’s “playing idea and tactical approach coincided with our sporting concept in many areas,” as the head of sport emphasized at the time.
“I can now get to the stadium without a navigation system. That’s a good sign. That’s why I feel arrived.” Marcel Rapp
Werner’s successor, whose contract runs until the summer of 2024, stands for tactical flexibility. He keeps changing formations, which makes it difficult to calculate the team. Another strength is the Kiel comeback quality: KSV has been behind 13 times this season and still scored twelve points in these games. No other team secured as many points after falling behind.
Wahl has mononucleosis – Mühling can play
Tonight (6.30 p.m., in the live center on NDR.de) the Kiel team want to continue their winning streak at the second-bottom Erzgebirge Aue. Rapp can then fall back on Alexander Mühling. The midfielder returns to the team after being suspended and will take over the captaincy from Hauke Wahl, who suffers from glandular fever.
