There are leaves on the grass in front of Sven Bender, the interim head coach usually has his hands in his training pants pockets and often looks at the ground, sometimes it looks as if he is thinking: “Why hasn’t anyone swept up the leaves?” But in The 35-year-old actually thinks about completely different things. “Scoring goals,” he will answer after this third division game against SpVgg Unterhaching when asked what the biggest construction site is. A simple problem, but incredibly difficult to solve. The 1:2 against Hannover 96 II, despite Julian Kügel’s own goal, was proof in several respects. There were scenes in which you would have liked to give the Haching players a leaf blower so that they could blow the ball towards the goal instead of repeatedly throwing it across the goal.
The relegation-threatened Hachinger are even more at risk of relegation after this game against a supposedly beatable opponent. It was an afternoon full of worry and sadness, and not just sport. Before kick-off, fans and team said a long and emotional farewell to long-time fan Nik Landgraf, who died at the beginning of the week.
“Now it counts,” said President Manfred Schwabl before the game. They had given Marc Unterberger a leave of absence, even though he was supposed to shape an era in Haching. The timing only makes sense in view of the hope of being able to provide an impulse right before the important Hanover game. In Sven Bender, they had handed over responsibility to an experienced young coach, someone “where everyone stands at attention when he speaks,” as President Manfred Schwabl put it at Magentasport. Bender had sent a 21-year-old debutant into the field in Robin Littig and otherwise relied primarily on experienced players. Luc Ihorst, the experienced attacker, should finally show what he can do from the start after a thigh injury. Maybe they had taken too much risk. After twelve minutes, Ihorst sat on the ground, grabbed his thigh and had to be replaced.
The Hachingers had two or three good chances to take the lead, but in the end the impression grew that the goal drought had little to do with the former coach. Manuel Stiefler, when asked about the fans’ angry comments after the game, summed it up like this: Attitude and fighting were never the problem, “but in the crucial situations the quality”, mainly on the offensive. In other words: The departures of Mathias Fetsch and Patrick Hobsch were not compensated for, and experience has shown that professional novices find it more difficult to step into the breach in the relegation battle.
Actually, Bender is no longer allowed to be a coach before the last home game of the year against Dresden
Sven Bender didn’t come up with a radically new game idea, given the short time available. Everyone thought he had successfully worked to build the team’s self-confidence. And suddenly all we could hear, from Bender and the players alike, was how important it was to simply take the lead again. When Kügel scored (77th), Robin Kalem had already scored two goals for the guests (64th, 66th).
Due to the existing rule for non-license holders, Bender is actually no longer allowed to be a coach before the last home game of the year against Dresden on December 21st. But you will definitely accept the penalty for a game, says Schwabl. After that it is unclear what happens next. Of course, fines are to be expected, but on the other hand, “a new trainer won’t work here for a roast pork and a wheat beer.”
Which probably means that Bender works for a roast pork and a cold drink, otherwise Schwabl would have to pay twice. When asked, Bender explained that he would complete his A license in January. After that, he hopes for “a bonus, but not a special position” at the DFB due to his professional experience so that he can be admitted to the highest license course as quickly as possible. The earliest possible conclusion is still December 2026. On the other hand, it is quite possible that this professional football statute will no longer be relevant for Unterhaching from next May: after the defeat against the direct competitor, the gap to the non-relegation places is already six points .
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