Analysis: How do you define courage?

First off: SV Darmstadt 98 has the second-highest pressing line in the 2. Bundesliga. Or, to put it simply: Only FC Magdeburg presses their opponents even deeper in the opponent’s half than Darmstadt.

As a rule, it’s a core element of the South Hessian team’s game plan to put their opponents under early pressure during their build-up play and force turnovers. In the football world, this style of play is often described as „courageous.“ Because the team’s high defensive line creates space behind their own back line, the aggressive pressing carries a higher risk for their own defence. High risk = courageous style of play. An equation that’s certainly not wrong, but it can’t be considered the sole definition of courage in professional football.

A general definition is: „Courage is the willingness to do what you believe is right in the face of anticipated disadvantages.“

Or, as Florian Kohfeldt summarised it in football terms regarding the cup match: „People might generally describe our performance in the opening phase as timid. But for me, it’s the bravest thing you can do. Because we knew that if we conceded a goal playing like this, not only would the result look bad, but the game would also appear timid.“

Contrary to their „nature“ (Marcel Schuhen), Darmstadt sat extremely deep in the first 25 minutes, operating from a deep defensive block and thus surprising the hosts. „We expected Darmstadt to be different. We thought they would press us higher up the pitch,“ admitted SCF head coach Julian Schuster frankly after the final whistle, thus confirming Darmstadt’s chosen approach.

An approach whose public perception SV 98 was certainly aware of, as Kohfeldt explained: „It wasn’t a ‚populist‘ performance. We said beforehand: We can go all out, as we usually do in the second division. But it wouldn’t have achieved much to press high from the start and give away large spaces. That makes little sense against such a strong opponent, and I’m not a fan of doing it anyway just because it looks good and courageous, and then everyone talks about an energetic game that we actually lost 0-3 or 0-4.“

An assessment shared by captain Schuhen: „In an away game in Freiburg, we can’t just go all out and press like madmen. We therefore had to be resilient, and the lads did a good job of that.“

Matthias Bader, who was back in the starting lineup for the first time in 16 months, explained: „Our game plan worked quite well; we wanted to make the game unattractive for Freiburg. They had few solutions.“

And at the same time, Darmstadt managed to launch some dangerous attacks in the first half. Bader himself almost gave them the lead in the 27th minute with a powerful left-footed shot, and Isac Lidberg created danger with two further shots shortly afterwards. „We played with changes of pace. We sat really deep for the first 25 minutes and then became more active going forward,“ summarised Kohfeldt, who also recognised that his team still needed to gain some experience against an opponent of this calibre before halftime: „You’re playing in Freiburg, against a Europa League participant, against a World Cup winner like Matthias Ginter. The lads took a little too long today to realise: You can still turn it up here and play a sharp ball ten meters out.“

Added to this was the moment of inattention, which in our usual analysis framework would probably have been declared the „moment of the match.“ The justified penalty for SC Freiburg in the 41st minute and the subsequent lead by Vincenzo Grifo. „Freiburg showed a bit of cleverness today; they won the penalty well,“ said Kohfeldt, while Bader summarised: „The penalty came at an inopportune time.“

„The lead before halftime was important,“ revealed Schuster, who paid Darmstadt „a huge compliment for their approach and performance.“ Which brings us to the second half, where we’ll take another look at our favourite word and its meaning. While Darmstadt had shown particular „courage“ before the break, displaying a very disciplined and focused performance off the ball and doing everything to create a tough, physical game, after the restart, their play with the ball became even more prominent.

Here too, we’d like to use Schuster’s words to offer an initial assessment: „After the break, Darmstadt showed their quality. They were very courageous and opened up the game very well from the back. They have a lot of quality there; some Bundesliga teams didn’t do that here in our game.“ These statements show that the Lilies certainly knew how to impress and were also able to control the game in phases of the second half. „We saw many good moments from Darmstadt; they are very creative, something some Bundesliga teams don’t do,“ explained match-winner Grifo, reflecting on the game.

Schuhen recognised „good passing sequences and opportunities“ on the side of the South Hessians, and all the Darmstadt players unanimously emphasised the chances that had been present in this match. However, the Darmstadt players were equally in agreement that SC Freiburg ultimately deserved their place in the quarterfinals. „They made better use of the small moments,“ Kohfeldt summarised, while Schuhen also highlighted the „individual quality“ of the Europa League participant, which had been clearly evident in the decisive situations.

And yet, a look at the statistics also helps to show that SV Darmstadt 98 were not without chances that evening, registering eleven shots on goal, the same number as the hosts, and forcing SC Freiburg goalkeeper Florian Müller into four impressive saves. Their possession rate of 48 percent is also noteworthy, underlining that despite the quality of their opponents, Darmstadt opted for a more possession-based approach and, despite their deeper positioning, only occasionally resorted to long balls to cover the pitch. This is further evidence of the progress and confidence in their own abilities, as Darmstadt had only managed 33 percent possession (and 5:20 shots on goal) in their cup match in Bremen last year.

But back to our initial question. And another definition. Spoken by Florian Kohfeldt: „The way we played today was courageous. In a way that allowed us to win.“

It’s a definition that leaves room for interpretation. One that, in just two sentences, encompasses much of what our longer text has hinted at. Courage cannot be generalised. Neither in life, nor in football. Courage depends on many factors; courage can involve risk, but courage can also be the decision to leave one’s comfort zone. To choose the path one considers most promising, regardless of what many others think.

„The style of play must always have a prospect of success,“ said Kohfeldt, thus already drawing a connection to Darmstadt’s Saturday evening match against Karlsruhe (December 6th/8:30pm). Darmstadt will want to approach this game with courage as well. What that means will likely be a matter of debate even after this match. Especially since Darmstadt, and this shouldn’t go unmentioned in this discussion, will be missing Fraser Hornby, a player who orchestrates the pressing game for the South Hessians and directs the team’s approach.

The Scotsman will also miss the match against Karlsruhe. Nevertheless, it’s quite possible that Darmstadt will take a different approach at the Merck Stadium than they did in Freiburg, with the clear priority of maximsing their chances of victory.

We’re looking forward to the next floodlit match. In that spirit: Stay courageous!