Kickers Offenbach meets front runners SC Freiburg II in the Regionalliga Südwest. OFC coach Ristic demands a reaction from his team.
Offenbach – Looking back is undesirable these days at OFC. “We won’t win the game in Haiger anymore,” says Kickers trainer Sreto Ristic with a somewhat tortured smile. The disappointing 0: 4 in the regional soccer league south-west at TSV Steinbach, second in the table, has been dealt with, and the “huge surprise” that the team presented to its coach in negative terms has been adequately analyzed.
“The most important thing we learned from this is that this team only works if everyone can get close to 100 percent,” says Ristic. His team doesn’t have a player who can decide a game on their own.
And because nothing will change about that, Ristic is counting on his team, which had already seemed so solid after ten games without defeat, to return to their virtues, to stand compact and try to control the ball and opponents. “That is only possible with 100 percent,” warns Ristic. The Kickers coach expects no less in the next top game against leaders SC Freiburg II (57 points from 27 games) on Saturday (2 p.m.). All Offenbach participants completely ignore the table situation. After all, the Kickers (50/26) can make the title race even more exciting with a win and also maintain their own ambitions with a deficit of only four points and an even more difficult game against Freiburg.
OFC run out of full-backs – Calabrese is out for six weeks
“Much shouldn’t happen now,” says coach Sreto Ristic in view of the bad luck with injuries that hit the regional soccer team Kickers Offenbach this week. The alternatives are rare, especially in the outer positions. Right-back Marco Fritscher is out for two weeks due to a muscle injury. In addition, Francesco Calabrese, who can be used on the right and left, tore a ligament in his ankle during training and has to pause for six weeks. The alternative on the right back is Maik Vetter, Ronny Marcos (left) only has a trained midfielder in Luka Garic. Because in addition to Abu Bakarr Kargbo (rehab after cruciate ligament rupture), Maurice Pluntke (muscular problems), Jakob Lemmer (patellar tendonitis) and Tim Dierßen (knee problems) are also absent, Ristic could borrow from the U19 for the first time. In Vincent Moreno Giesel (19) and Amer Vrcic (19) two talents train with us. jm
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“I want to see a reaction”, Ristic demands of his men, whom he certifies to have been self-critical in the training week after the Steinbach bankruptcy: “I want to see a team in which everyone helps everyone and which is not distracted by anything . ”A clear reference to the extraordinary wind strengths that literally whirled up the Offenbach game in Steinbach and finally thwarted it completely. At least such external influences are not to be expected on Saturday against the front runner.
Nevertheless, the task is exhausting and extremely complicated. “Freiburg is right up there”, Ristic praises the second division of the Bundesliga club: “They have many exceptional players with great athleticism, plus a chain of three who defend confidently.” Despite many very young players, Freiburg is already very experienced. In addition, there is the outstanding offensive, which is clearly number one in the league with 68 goals. Only in two games (the 0: 2 in Ulm and the sensational 0: 1 against relegation candidate Bayern Alzenau) did the Breisgauer miss their own goals. Ristic’s conclusion is therefore unsurprising: “A very difficult task awaits us.”
But with all due respect for the opponent, Ristic doesn’t forget to focus on his own team. “We are looking forward to this task, we are highly motivated.” His team had already shown an initial reaction during training. “The boys were very focused and very willing,” praised the Kickers coach, who therefore sees the defeat in Steinbach as part of the development process. “And now we want to make sure that we take the next step in our development,” demands Ristic. As usual, the Kickers coach leaves open which personnel he will use to tackle the task against the best away team in the league (30 points from 14 games). He certainly won’t start the really big rotary press. In the back right he will have to react safely after Marco Fritscher’s failure. Whether or not he changes something at the front will depend on the extent to which Ristic trusts the members of the management team from position twelve to give new impulses.
Especially Florent Bojaj, who not only made far too little of his opportunities in Steinbach and looked overplayed, would be a candidate for a creative break. The alternatives, however, are either injured (Dierßen, Kargbo), battered (Lemmer), do not play a role (Reinhard) – or they do not ignite as desired (Soriano). Maybe that’s why Ristic is only looking ahead – and hoping for improvement.
By Jörg Moll
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