There needs to be advocates among those responsible in a club. You could put it in a nutshell: If you don’t have it, you won’t play. Not many would know this better than Gerrit Holtmann, who joined the “Lilien” last week on loan from VfL Bochum until the end of the season. During his time in Bochum, the fast winger had an advocate in coach Thomas Reis, but his successor Thomas Letsch no longer had one. Holtmann went from being a satisfied regular to a dissatisfied part-time employee.
A loan to Antalyaspor in the Turkish first division followed in the summer. There was an advocate in the club in former Bundesliga player Nuri Sahin. But as a proven sprinter with and without the ball on his feet, Holtmann has sensitive muscles – he associates his injury problems on the Turkish south coast with the condition of the pitches there.
Reunification in the Bundesliga
When he felt little trust and advocate Sahin said goodbye to Borussia Dortmund, Holtmann, after only seven short appearances, asked to be allowed to leave the club again after five months. At Darmstadt 98 he could be sure that an advocate would hold the coaching position. “Torsten Lieberknecht was a very important coach in my career. He was one of my discoverers and helped me tremendously in my development in my first professional years,” says Holtmann.
The two worked together at Eintracht Braunschweig between 2014 and 2016 and are now looking forward to being reunited in the Bundesliga. “With Gerrit,” says Lieberknecht, “we are adding a fast, dynamic team player to the team who is at home on the left side. He also has a lot of experience with over 100 Bundesliga games and knows exactly what is important in the upper house.” Holtmann played his 103rd first division game in this country – the 102 he previously played for Mainz, Paderborn and Bochum – last Sunday at Union Berlin (0 :1) disputed when he came on as a substitute in the second half and indicated how much pace he could pick up along the touchlines.
For Holtmann, for whom Mainz 05 once allegedly transferred more than three million to Braunschweig, Darmstadt is the chance to come to the fore again. For the SVD, Holtmann represents the opportunity to gain substance on the offensive. With the three loan players for attack and offensive midfield – Julian Justvan from Hoffenheim and Sebastian Polter from Schalke are the other two – those responsible in Darmstadt feel better prepared for the coming weeks and months in the relegation battle.
After the bitter disappointment in Berlin, a particularly tough test for the “lilies” follows this Saturday (3:30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and on Sky) in the home game against leaders Bayer Leverkusen. “They have machines in the team that run at 35 or 36 kilometers per hour, plus thinkers and drivers like Xhaka, Andrich or Palacios. “They are an incredibly difficult opponent and feel like an unbreakable team,” says the 28-year-old Holtmann.
Shooter for goal of the year 2021
The atmosphere in the team gives him courage to ensure that Darmstadt’s quest to stay in the league is not a suicide mission. “We lost an important away game. But I have never experienced a team that is so positive. Team spirit is very important in the fight against relegation,” said Holtmann.
David Lindenfeld and Alex Westhoff Published/Updated: Recommendations: 2 Alex Westhoff Published/Updated: Recommendations: 14 Alex Westhoff Published/Updated: Recommendations: 2
A finding that runs through the entire season and that needs to be remedied in order to increase the chances: the balance between the desire to attack and the art of defense. For many match days, the South Hessians have not been dangerous enough at the front and not safe enough at the back, which means they have only gained a few points through a few draws. “I think the mix is still missing,” says Holtmann. “But we can manage it.”
For the goal of the year 2021, the shooter also wants to return to national team action in 2024. The native of Bremen and former German U-20 national player chose the country his mother comes from: the Philippines. So far he has played two international matches for the island nation. “In March,” says Holzmann, “I’ll be flying there again.” There will be advocates for the Bundesliga import.
