sport-kurier Mannheim – searched and found

sports courier. The year 2022 has not gone according to plan for SV Waldhof so far.

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Coach Patrick Glöckner’s team fell short of their own expectations. But there were also winners – and Fridolin Wagner is definitely one of them. The 24-year-old, who moved from KFC Uerdingen to Mannheim before the season, has developed into an important pillar in defensive midfield after the first six months in which he was only a reserve player. He is currently clear. Together with Marco Höger he does a very good job as a six.

He has already shown in Uerdingen that he can fight, but the native of Leipzig, whose girlfriend is studying in Heidelberg, also has an excellent eye for the situation. Game after game he also convinces with good ideas and precise passes to the top.

If you want to put it that way, his star rose at the training camp in Belek. Before that, Hamza Saghiri, who is more likely to be eighth, always had the edge. But Wagner can also do it in forward gear. His last-minute winning goal in Würzburg, where he appeared in the penalty area after a Marc Schnatterer free-kick and showed a great nose, is also unforgettable. In the best striker manner, he stood exactly where you have to stand as a goal-getter and dusted off.

Schnatterer is sure to give him one or two tips from time to time, because they both spend a lot of time together – mostly asleep. The duo always shares a room on trips away. But he often learns from Marco Höger, who came to Mannheim from 1. FC Köln and also played for Schalke 04 in the Champions League. In a recent interview, Wagner respectfully described Höger as probably the best player in the 3rd division when it comes to football skills.

Fridolin Wagner has played in the foreground at the Waldhöfer. AS sports photo

And when you stand next to someone like that on the lawn, you inevitably learn a lot. Höger is also good as a role model in other respects. He should be the absolute speaker at the Waldhöfer. Captain Marcel Seegert and Schnatterer are of course also mouthpieces, and coach Glöckner values ​​their opinions very much. But Höger should be of a different caliber again. When he speaks in the dressing room, it becomes dead quiet. He even kicked a rascal at a home game in the Carl Benz Stadium when he played an unlucky ball. These are announcements that nobody else dares to make with “Schnatti”.

The intention behind Höger’s commitment is clear. He wants to go ahead to take the club further. After all, someone like him, who already successfully tackled Cristiano Ronaldo, wants to play at least one league higher sooner or later. And he would like to do that with the Waldhof. Höger is enthusiastic about the fans and also appreciates the proximity to his hometown of Cologne. Whenever his schedule allows, he takes the ICE and drives home to his wife’s house. He has an apartment in Mannheim.

In terms of his technical skills, the 32-year-old could probably still do the Bundesliga. But he now lacks the speed for the top. Höger is no longer the fastest, but he can compensate for this quite well in the 3rd league with his positional play. Because he has this gift of reading a game. He usually knows in advance where the ball is going and runs it.

It is not the fault of the midfield duo Wagner-Höger that the SVW has lost its stride. Both searched and found each other and complement each other very well.
It remains to be seen whether sooner or later they will also form the heart of SV Waldhof Mannheim in the 2nd division.

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