After Hoffenheim’s extremely eventful 4-3 win against RB Leipzig, midfielder Tom Bischof, 19, had an interesting statement. The new coach Christian Ilzer had previously encouraged the team to act carefree. “Like children, just having fun and getting everything done. Without much thought.” And, of course, the new guy also conveyed “a clear plan.” “Everyone knew what they had to do.”
That’s always a good thing, especially when you’re up against an opponent like RB Leipzig, who on Saturday didn’t for the first time offer enough attack space to give a newly motivated and naturally not untalented team like Hoffenheim a feeling of success. Leipzig led three times after goals from Willi Orban, Antonio Nusa and an own goal from Stanley Nsoki forced by Loïs Openda – only to lose 3-4. Hoffenheim’s winning goal can be used as a blueprint for the astonishing sloppiness with which Leipzig acted that afternoon: Before Jakob Bruun-Larsen’s header, Anton Stach’s cross was over 30 meters in the air without the RB central defense being able to reach it necessary alert.
However, Leipzig’s deficits were only one of many factors in Hoffenheim’s much celebrated victory. The team, which had often seemed so strangely inhibited so far this season, played forward in a carefree and determined manner. And that is exactly what Ilzer wanted to convey with his request (“like children”), as he explained after the game: “A team that hasn’t won in a while, that has had a difficult phase, you have to free it. Lighten a heavy heart. Awaken the child within.”
Such an approach takes courage, and it was rewarded on Saturday. Especially since Ilzer’s personnel measures also took effect, who, according to his own information, works very “intuitively”. The man who, together with sports director Andreas Schicker and his almost entire staff, had recently been poached by the Austrian champions Sturm Graz, had changed his team in four positions. And two of the newcomers, Adam Hlozek and Haris Tabakovic, promptly met. Bishop contributed the fourth goal to make it 2-2 with a great free kick goal.
Leipzig raises the suspicion against Hoffenheim that success and schendrian are close neighbors
Ilzer must have noticed that there is still a lot to do at TSG. Not only with Orban’s first Leipzig goal, where Nsoki didn’t look good, more consistency in the duel wouldn’t have done any harm. But in the end that didn’t matter to the spectators, who went home in a good mood. More than 28,000 came. That’s a lot for Hoffenheim – and a sign of curiosity about the new coach. Meanwhile, another personnel change was announced on Sunday. In the future, Tim Jost will complete the four-person management team with Schicker, Frank Briel and Markus Schütz. However, the new marketing manager does not come from Graz, but from Bochum.
On the other side of the encounter between two heavily Austrian teams, the mood was miserable. RB had given up a lead three times, once again fueling suspicions that the team had not yet been able to dispel this season. It’s strikingly common for highly gifted people to become lazy when things seem to be going well. After leading goals, or after dominant phases. Then, as again in Sinsheim, the concentration in the duel, the tactical consistency and generally the “sharpness” that Marco Rose wants to restore in the coming days are missing. According to his own statement, he “had the feeling throughout the game that we weren’t in the game the way we needed to and wanted to be.” This is no longer a critical comment coming from a coach. But fundamental criticism.
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