TSG Hoffenheim has achieved four wins in the young season – Wout Weghorst was in the starting line-up four times. The Dutchman was missing from the 3-1 defeat against Borussia Dortmund. And the people of Kraichgau still have to worry about him.
TSG Hoffenheim still has to worry about striker Wout Weghorst. IMAGO/eu-images
At the start of the training week on Monday afternoon, Weghorst only trained individually. The loanee from Burnley FC missed the duel with BVB due to thigh problems that came from the 2-0 win at 1.FC Union the previous week. TSG coach Pellegrino Matarazzo explained that Weghorst was supposed to do a final test in the final training session for the game against Dortmund – but the injury has obviously not yet fully healed, after all, the attacker was not in the squad last Friday evening. Now people in Kraichgau are worried about the 1.97 meter giant for Saturday’s game against Werder Bremen (6.30 p.m., LIVE! on kicker).
The former Wolfsburg player has not yet scored since his arrival in Hoffenheim. But within a very short time he has achieved a certain status, especially with his physique and mentality. It may not be a coincidence that Matarazzo criticized the lack of clarity in the pressing structure in the first half against Dortmund and also criticized his team’s level of pressing, in which Weghorst, with his enormous force, was unable to make the first move this time.
Hoffenheim has a few alternatives if Weghorst fails again
There is also another effect: in Weghorst’s absence, Matarazzo offered Andrej Kramaric as second striker alongside Maximilian Beier. In the previous games, the Croatian had controlled the game from midfield with his creativity and ball security, even though new signing Anton Stach represented Kramaric really well (kicker rating 2.5).
The question arises as to how Matarazzo would compensate for Weghorst’s failure again in Bremen? Thanks to the depth of the squad, the Italian-American has another attacker in the striker category in Mergim Berisha. In addition, Ihlas Bebou, who replaced Pavel Kaderabek (adductor), who was also injured, against BVB, could also be up front, although the Togolese sprinter’s profile is similar to that of Beier, who is also fast. Or, Matarazzo relies on Kramaric again and leaves Stach in the eight position – the 24-year-old really hasn’t given his coach a reason to take him out of the starting line-up again.
2023-10-02 18:37:50
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