Arne Maier was already considered a great talent at Hertha BSC when he was young, but a lack of efficiency accompanied him in the professional field. The 24-year-old has been dangerous in a new position at FC Augsburg since the beginning of the year.
Suddenly a goal scorer: Arne Maier shows new qualities at FCA.
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January 2018, the internationally renowned Mercedes Junior Cup in Stuttgart: A top-class indoor tournament for A-Juniors, which many later stars have left their mark on. At the end of the two-day event, kicker chooses the player of the game. In 2018 the choice is easy, it can only fall on Arne Maier, the central figure at tournament winner Hertha BSC, strategist and goalscorer.
Maier established himself in the Bundesliga squad of the capital city, but he doesn’t really want to make a breakthrough, also because of injuries. In August 2021 he will therefore move to FC Augsburg and will then rotate in and out of the starting XI. At the end of 2022 there is a meager Bundesliga goal in his balance sheet, despite more than a hundred games. He is criticized for a lack of efficiency, but also for often lax work against the ball. A talent at a crossroads.
Everything is different after the first quarter of 2023: goal in Dortmund, goal against Bremen, goal against Schalke. Coach Enrico Maaßen has put Maier on the right flank, from where he likes to move between the line and into the centre. A slightly more offensive position that suits Maier and from which he is making a lot at the moment.
Maassen sees “extreme value for us in this position”
“Arne is extremely valuable for us in this position,” praises Maassen, looking at his player’s odds. He is still missing an assist, but he has also discovered other qualities: “Arne defends and wins second balls, topics that he has always struggled with. He has made a step in all areas, he has always been a good footballer.” , says Maassen. In the new position he has more depth in his game than in the past, “he’s on the right track”.
The promised meanwhile makes sentences that any PR department could have pre-formulated. “I feel good in the team and in my position,” he said after the draw against Schalke. “I’m flexible, I can also play in midfield. The main thing is that I’m on the pitch.” It doesn’t matter, in the end it’s the performance on the pitch that counts, and that’s what Maier is currently doing.
