You can give the “Liliens” a lot of credit in this round of the Bundesliga. For example, they haven’t let themselves down in any of the twelve games they’ve lost so far. That they don’t overuse their role as underdogs in sporting and economic terms, which quickly seems resigned to fate like: It’s a shame, we have little chance anyway.
Instead, they act defensively in every match and rarely lose their minds, which posed problems for the vast majority of opponents. Just not one that couldn’t be solved in 90 minutes. Even Union Berlin, which was by no means fearsome but rather vulnerable, found ways to overcome the Darmstadt 98 hurdle on Sunday afternoon. The bitter end result from a southern Hessian perspective against a direct competitor in the fight against relegation: 0:1.
Affected with defects
The Darmstadt fighting spirit was good, the defensive work was solid, the chances created were still okay. Just because, based on school grades, everything is between “satisfactory” and “sufficient” with only occasional slips towards “good”, their game as a whole is too flawed by premier league standards. Especially since it was carried out on the pitch by an ensemble of mostly second division players, which no person in charge in Darmstadt would negate because after promotion they consciously decided on a path of personnel continuity.
After 19 matchdays and only eleven points, it is very clear: (too) much has to come together in the Darmstadt game so that they could win a Bundesliga game on their side. Because they have no real strength(s) that serve as a reliable and always available basis for the collective.
The defense is aggressive, but is unable to survive Bundesliga games without conceding a goal; the pressing is sometimes courageous, but not exactly frightening for the opponent; The active, forward-oriented style of play is standard in Darmstadt, but also opens up plenty of space for the opponent – the best example being the counter-attack goal scored by Berlin’s Benedict Hollerbach away from home when the score was 0-0; The offense has good moments, but remains the “lily-lily” Achilles heel of the individual and collective class.
Always burn something
It’s a colorful cauldron of skills and attempts to be decisively ahead of your opponents in a game. As a result, the players on the pitch are likely to have the stressful feeling that something can happen to us at any time and anywhere in the game, which is difficult to combat when the opponents, who are always better individually, get rolling. Coach Torsten Lieberknecht’s team has shown itself to be quite flexible tactically.
But not from the fundamental approach of wanting to act in the Bundesliga and not just react. Perhaps a selective move away from classic outsider football – entrenchment at the back and hope for transition opportunities at the front – would be necessary. Especially since the Darmstadt team would not be blamed for this in the upcoming tough program with home games against Leverkusen and Stuttgart as well as a guest game in Gladbach.
And because it was tested excessively and successfully in the previous second division season: in the home game against Eintracht Braunschweig almost exactly a year ago, the “Lilien” professionals, contrary to their usual style, pushed one ball after the other far forward and threw themselves when it rebounded, with particular verve in the duels. Final score after a late goal: 1-0 win.
In Berlin, the SVD certainly had its moments in the penalty area, but too often got tangled up in the multi-legged Union defense. “The desire to take the power from the Frankfurt game was just wishful thinking. We played too hesitantly when we were able to finish. “We thought too complicated things in many campaigns and were too pomadic,” said Lieberknecht. The experienced defender Christoph Zimmermann missed the “final punch” at the front.
Alex Westhoff Published/Updated: Recommendations: 1 Alex Westhoff Published/Updated: Recommendations: 3 A comment from Peter Heß Published/Updated: Recommendations: 6
The hoped-for big new striker from the transfer market who is strong in the air is urgently needed – the impressions in Berlin were no longer needed. Attack leader Luca Pfeiffer has individual good scenes (mostly outside the penalty area), but too often embodies the self-fulfilling prophecy that the “Lilies” have a striker problem. Oscar Vilhelmsson was and is not a factor as the first substitute in the attack. And yet, with only one point behind the relegation place, nothing is lost.
Based on the impressions so far, the new signing Julian Justvan is an asset for the offensive, and Gerrit Holtmann also showed his speed on his debut after coming on as a substitute. The wait remains for the new striker.
