Good feelings in Magdeburg: The leaders were also able to celebrate a win against Freiburg at the start of the year
Foto: imago images/Beautiful Sports
In Magdeburg, many people are reminded of the winter four years ago. Also Mario Kallnik. “Our team rightly heard a lot of praise during the winter break,” says the managing director of 1. FC Magdeburg. Then as now, the footballers of the FCM started the new year as leaders in the 3rd division. The Magdeburg team are going into the upcoming home game against TSV Havelse on Sunday with a particularly good feeling. But not because they are already eleven points ahead of a non-promotional place and have already been able to earn 34 points more than their opponents from the bottom of the table.
It’s a difference from 2018 that brings some relief in the tense battle for promotion. Back then, after the winter break, the FCM quickly gambled away the lead in the table with two defeats and a draw, from a ten-point lead on third place there were only five left. Just a dash of complacency is enough, and concentration and focus drop significantly. This year, Magdeburg’s footballers only needed 45 minutes to find their winning rhythm again. Last weekend they won the game against SC Freiburg’s second team after a weaker first half. Because Kallnik can still remember the time four years ago all too well, he warns despite the 3-2 win in the opening round. »Everyone here knows that only a little more than half of the championship games have been played and that many challenges still await. So far, 47 points have only been enough to stay up,” said “nd”.
In principle, however, nobody in Magdeburg would have anything against history repeating itself. In May 2018, the FCM celebrated the third division championship – and made the leap into professional football for the first time. But learning from history also means learning from your own mistakes. Because the big rise frenzy was quickly followed by the relegation hangover. At that time, 1. FC Magdeburg was promoted with the second oldest team, but was not competitive with this squad structure in the 2nd Bundesliga. With an average age of less than 24, FCM is the youngest team in the 3rd league, with the exception of the secondary representatives Borussia Dortmund and SC Freiburg, who are not eligible for promotion.
Less experience, but more speed and hunger for success – that’s how 1. FC Magdeburg wants to get back into professional football. And also increase the chances of keeping the class this time in the event of promotion. Even if the return to the 2nd Bundesliga was not a specific goal for the season, the club has changed a few things in order to be successful in the long term. This season, however, the FCM is moving away from its line of operating debt-free. On the one hand, corona-related losses are a burden on finances. On the other hand, at the request of the sports management around sports director Otmar Schork, more was invested in the squad: starting the season with 29 players is proving to be an advantage. Not only is the competition more profitable, due to its size, the team was able to largely keep the training and game rhythm in contrast to other clubs, despite some corona infections. “We are currently planning a deficit in the seven-digit range for the end of the season,” explains Kallnik. A bigger, but in the end perhaps worthwhile risk.
After the immediate relegation in 2019 and an unexpectedly difficult time in the third division afterwards, the structures in the club were also changed. In November 2020, Schork was hired as sports director. Looking back, he told »nd«: »The size and power of the club with its huge fan potential attracted me. It’s a counterpoint to my former club, SV Sandhausen.« After four months, he brought Christian Titz to coach 1. FC Magdeburg, who were then threatened with relegation – a profitable connection. “At the time it was very important to be close to the team and the coaching staff to give the players and the community backing with faith and confidence. The winter transfers of Barik Atik, Saliou Sané and Nico Granatowski as well as the decision in favor of Christian Titz after Thomas Hoßmang’s resignation were extremely important in order to ultimately stay up in the league,« says Schork, describing his first groundbreaking decisions.
Since then, attacking has been the order of the day in Magdeburg, where previously, perhaps also because of FCM’s long and unsuccessful success after the political reunification, defensive thoughts and games were played. The team has by far the most goals in the league. So far there have been 15 wins, five more than 1. FC Kaiserslautern in second place. The performance of the trainer plays a special role. »It is extraordinary to play so dominantly and to be successful in the 3rd division with a lot of ball possession and high pressing. It’s Christian Titz’s philosophy that has worked so far,” says Schork. On Friday, Magdeburg continued its refreshing course of rejuvenation and signed two more offensive players, Moritz-Broni Kwarteng and Tatsuya Ito.
Other topics are also tackled boldly and aggressively. While the U23 teams have been abolished almost everywhere, mostly as a cost-cutting measure, 1. FC Magdeburg is planning to start a new youth team. Preferably for the coming season. Schork explains it like this: “We put a lot of effort into it and train a lot of players from Saxony-Anhalt and the wider area. However, the step from the A youth into the active area is very big. In the past, no player from our own offspring has managed to make it into the professional team. The U23 should be the intermediate step to be able to better prepare the players for it.« For the way to train your own talents yourself instead of loaning them out, there are also prominent role models with FC Bayern, for example. The FCM has some well-trained footballers in its ranks in other second teams. “They show their potential week after week in the 3rd division,” says Schork happily.
1. FC Magdeburg has some catching up to do elsewhere. “In the future, we must succeed in adapting the infrastructural requirements to professional football in addition to the sporting development,” Kallnik knows. The club still does not have its own training center, neither for professionals nor for youngsters. This is a clear competitive disadvantage. The plans for this have been around for a long time, only the money was missing. With a climb, the implementation would come closer. That’s another reason why Kallnik says: “The mood at FCM is good and we’re looking positively into the future.”
