Diary: Adiós from El Saler!

SV 98 arrived back in Darmstadt on Sunday afternoon. With the successful test against FC St. Gallen, the Lilies had drawn a line under their time on the Spanish east coast. The South Hesse team put eight training sessions into their legs on their return trip, plus the 120 minutes against the Swiss first division team. The days of El Saler? You have completely fulfilled your purpose. “We had excellent conditions and took advantage of them,” said Florian Kohfeldt in his training camp conclusion.

Hospitality and conditions at the Parador de El Saler are once again optimal. Before leaving, Lilien and hotel staff took a photo together. At this point we would like to once again thank the entire team at the Parador de El Saler.

Back in Germany, SV 98 now begins their direct preparation for Fortuna Düsseldorf. Tomorrow, Monday, there will be no training before the team resumes training on Tuesday. With tailwind from El Saler and the full focus on the first competitive game in 2025.

The Lilies say goodbye to the training camp with at least a little sporty Olé! In La Nucia, SV 98 won 1-0 against Conference League participants FC St. Gallen. The test against the Swiss lasted a total of 120 minutes, in which Fraser Hornby demonstrated his accuracy. The striker scored three times, but each time the goal was whistled back. Hornby & Co. showed their enthusiasm in the encounter and set the tone for most of the game. Afterwards, our head coach was also satisfied with what he had seen. Florian Kohfeldt: „I’m happy because we were able to play every game and didn’t have any injuries.“ We saw a lot of how we wanted to play football. We were against a Conference League participant, the dominant team with significantly more scoring chances and kept a clean sheet. This meant we were able to finish the training camp well and are already looking forward to the training week to prepare well for Düsseldorf.”

A well-rounded conclusion to an overall successful training camp. Kohfeldt also sees it this way: “We made very good use of the conditions. On the pitch we were able to work on exactly the topics we had set out to do: We worked on the standards and we also tried to refine the topic of opening the game. Above all, it’s about actually getting into dangerous areas and becoming even more determined and clearer there. And we looked at defence, especially pressing behavior.”

So homework is done, then you can get on the plane on Sunday.

Okay, I admit it. When I received the training plan for the upcoming training camp week on Sunday evening, one date was immediately marked in bold: the free afternoon on Friday. Because a training camp is intensive in all areas. So I was happy to spend a few hours today away from the training ground, content and interviews. After lunch, me and a few colleagues went to El Perello, a small town about ten minutes by car from our team hotel. Many others were drawn in the opposite direction. Straight into Valencia. Undoubtedly a beautiful city, but I was more looking for peace and quiet and a relaxed tapas bar by the sea. Although January is of course the absolute low season in this part of Spain, we found what we were looking for after a short search. A table for 12 people, right on the beach of El Perello. Sunshine, 20 degrees and a large selection of tapas. Exactly what the author of these lines was looking for. With patatas bravas, croquetas de jamon and pimientos we were able to unwind for a bit and recharge our batteries for the sporting end of the training camp: the test match tomorrow Saturday against FC St. Gallen.

The game will be played in La Nucia, around 130 kilometers away from El Saler. We will broadcast the dress rehearsal before the start of the second half of the season in Düsseldorf (January 17th/6:30pm) live from our Youtube-Channel. By the way, there you will find a VLOG from Luca Marseiler today, which will give you exclusive insights into a day of training. Have fun!

For many, the decathlon is the supreme discipline of the Summer Olympics. Ten disciplines that require a wide variety of techniques and skills. And in the end, the winner is the one who was able to collect the most points from all the different tasks. Why do we choose this entry in today’s diary entry? Because SV 98 had its very own version of the decathlon this Thursday. Because the training plan had the “Lilien Olympics” on the agenda for the morning.

Four teams, ten disciplines. Players, coaching team, staff, sports director and executive committee. Everyone was there and wanted to achieve overall victory with their group. The groups decided in advance which group member would be assigned to which discipline. The crux of it? The content of the games was unknown. Only the names of the individual disciplines were given, but there could be a lot hidden behind them. Here are the 10 games to help you puzzle along:

• Teamwork (entire team plays)
• Listen carefully! The journey is the destination… (2 players)
• With brains (4 players)
• In the circus (1 player)
• Tour de Valencia (1 player)
• Less is more (4 players)
• On Edge (4 players)
• One of many (entire team)
• The sun is shining (entire team)
• Rasim on Tour (entire team)

Blind understanding, skill, technique and concentration were required, but later also general knowledge and knowledge of music. Balance books on your head, ride a bike as slowly as possible, play golf or push a cup precisely across a tabletop. A wide range and a lot of fun in this special form of team building. At this point a big thank you goes to Michael Stegmayer, our team manager Matthias Neumann and supervisor Oli Zach for the planning and preparation of the Lily Olympics.

The competition remained exciting until the end, in the end two teams were crowned winners with equal points. But despite all the ambition and occasional taunts, the Olympic motto also applied to this event: “Being there is everything.” An all-round successful morning and an entertaining change from the everyday training routine of a preparation.

The afternoon session in El Saler was followed by around 40 Lilien fans, most of whom traveled to Valencia this Thursday as part of the SV 98 fan trip and will now spend a few days on the east coast and of course with their favorite team. A first highlight of the trip was the evening together with the players and coaching team. The Lilies and supporters met on the terrace of the team hotel to exchange ideas in a relaxed atmosphere and have a great time.

Marco Thiede: „Hats off to the fans who made this journey to Spain to see and support us there. Of course we want to give something back. It’s nice to keep exchanging ideas with them and for me, also this closeness, the connection with the fans is one of the best things we can have as footballers.“

“You never stop learning,” our assistant coach Darius Scholtysik told me in an interview today. Actually just four short words, but I took them to heart and thought about them. What three things did I learn in training camp this Wednesday? I wrote them down for you in our diary:

1) Honestly. My first thought when I see Fraser Hornby drinking his coffee? “Baaah,” it immediately pops into my head. I like to drink coffee, but pure – without anything, just black. Only very, very rarely with sugar. After lunch I meet our striker at the coffee machine. He puts the cup down and draws himself a coffee. In his other hand he has a small jar of honey, which he is about to add a small amount to his coffee. “I’ve been doing it like this for a few years,” he tells me. Why? Better than taking sugar, says Fraser.

2) Florian Kohfeldt is a big tennis fan and often plays tennis himself. I knew that beforehand. And I already suspected that he would most likely answer my question with a tennis player. Just which one? “If you could train a team or athlete from another sport for a day, who would you choose?” I ask him and his colleagues from the coaching team in the “Question of the Day” for our Instagram channel. “Jannik Sinner,” says our head coach after a moment’s thought. 23 years, two Grand Slam titles. “Because he is currently the best tennis player in the world,” Flo answers my why question. “But I would just play with him all the time and sell it to him as training…” he adds with a laugh.

3) Headfirst into the Mediterranean? I’ll actually be there straight away. But not in January. I think Andi Müller was thinking something similar when he looked at me with a look that roughly said: „Are they crazy!?“ Together with Clemens Riedel and Luca Marseiler we went down to the beach in El after the afternoon session Saler. While Andi cooled down his feet and calves, I decided to take photos of Clemens and Luca from a safe distance as they went headfirst into the water, the water temperature here near Valencia is supposed to be just around 15 degrees Celsius – if that… But what looked like fun for the boys (and certainly was) also had a serious background: after a strenuous session, you need to regenerate your body in the slightly oversized ice bath. The Mediterranean is not just for vacation, but also for regeneration in January.

I was asked to be a guest author today to report on our Tuesday in El Saler. As if two sessions a day weren’t enough activity… But seriously: I’m generally someone who often writes down my thoughts and experiences. That’s why I’d like to write you a few lines from room 208 in the „Parador de El Saler“.

My day today started at 8am. Thanks to the small coffee machine in my room, I was able to watch the sunrise over the sea from my balcony with an espresso in hand. Such moments are a type of quality of life that I could definitely imagine for my family and myself in the long term. This view alone makes me start the day with a different feeling. Before breakfast, I was able to have a quick phone call with my wife and two kids via Facetime. Seeing them all first thing in the morning, at least on my cell phone, gives me a boost for the upcoming training day. At the same time, of course, it also triggers a feeling of missing. Especially after Christmas and the days between the years, it is unusual not to be with them for a whole week and, for example, not to have breakfast with them. Because the first meal of the day represented the next point of the day. Scrambled eggs, a roll and a little chicken breast. Unspectacular, but sufficient.

Before training I had a little time for a short walk to the sea. Feet in the water. Incredibly pleasant. It’s often little things like this that replenish the battery during strenuous days. Accordingly, I try to appreciate them. Back in the room I read a few more pages. “Dynasty. The Inside Story of the New England Patriots.” For me as an NFL fan, it’s super exciting to learn a little more about the history and processes and to immerse myself in this crazy world. But now to training.

We started our daily activation in the weight room. Activation means that we as players prepare ourselves and especially our muscles and joints specifically for the following training content. Of course, we goalkeepers do different exercises than the field players in order to be prepared for the demands of the session. Our goalkeeper training started today with Spikeball. Alex Kynaß, our goalkeeping coach, always comes up with something to combine intensity with a little fun. One-on-one situations and cross pass defense were the other components of the training. After the game form and standards it was over. Today we were completely accompanied by the media team with a camera; in the video you can get a very good impression of what we’re up to.

Although I have already completed countless units in my life, I really enjoy exerting myself in the field every day. If at some point this desire is no longer there, I will stop immediately.

Before lunch I took a sauna session and was in the ice pool. A little hectic, but I was back at the dinner table on time to recharge my batteries with a few carbohydrates. The lunch break began with a game of dice poker against Alex Brunst. Greetings to Mathias Honsak, we keep the dice tradition alive here 🙂

I calmed down a bit in my room until the second training session. This year I’m unfortunately alone because my roommate for years, Fabi Holland, wasn’t able to go to Spain with me due to illness. On this note: Get well soon, my friend.

In the afternoon I had strength training in the gym. I like it. Goalkeepers are usually more fans of strength training and less of longer runs. Afterwards I went to the beach again. With the knowledge that you have checked off your sporting activities for the day, you can relax and look at the floods. Freshly showered, I’m off to dinner. I hope my lines have given you a little insight into my day. I’m sending you a few rays of sunshine to cold Germany and I’m looking forward to seeing each other again soon at Bölle.

“Meticulous” is a word that Paul Fernie likes to use when describing Florian Kohfeldt. Because if the Lilien head coach tackles something or wants to implement something, then there is only the complete package. No half measures. Ideas, game principles – Kohfeldt explains these things very thoroughly to his team; certain processes are rehearsed over and over again until the team achieves a high level of security in this structure. The training camp session on Monday offered a good example of the precise work of the 42-year-old and his coaching team.

The training started at 10:30 a.m. with a detailed activation, and the session on the grass ended more than two hours later. „The session was long, but at the same time tough. After a long warm-up, we went into the playful and tactical things and worked on details. At the end there was a final game,“ said Kai Klefisch, summarising what happened on the field beforehand was. Just detailed work. At 11 against 0, the Lilies kept going through their routines, carefully coached by Kohfeldt, whose voice always found its way through the gusts of wind blowing in from the beach. In the following 8 against 8 game, many of the previously rehearsed processes were recognisable; the players were always looking for determined offensive solutions. “It can continue like this,” explained Klefisch with a smile, the progress of the pleasant weeks is visible and at the same time ensures that the Lilies remain willing to learn and inquisitive and also complete one or two mammoth units with a lot of enthusiasm.

Part 2 of the detailed work followed in the afternoon. This time, however, not on the field, but in the meeting room in the basement of the “Parador de El Saler”. An extensive internal tactical analysis was on the agenda.

„We want to continue to work on our principles and the way we play football. The more often you train something, the more natural it becomes on match day itself. We have already made a lot of progress in the last few weeks and we want to build on that,“ said Fraser Hornby. The goals for the ongoing training camp were described before training in the morning. The contents of the following hours were perfect evidence for the attacker’s statement.

The complete interview with the 25 year old can be found here or as a video over on our YouTube channel.

At 7 am, the Lilien entourage made up of the coaching team, players and staff set off from the Merck Stadium to Frankfurt Airport. The Lufthansa flight LH 1160 took off from there shortly after 10am towards Valencia. The plane took off in light snowfall and temperatures around freezing point, and landed almost two hours later at a pleasant 19 degrees. A change that was also perceived with goodwill by the players, as Clemens Riedel explained on behalf of them: „When I looked out of the window, I was surprised that there was snow. It’s even nicer to train here with the sun and the sea to be able to.“

At 1:15pm, the South Hessians entered the lobby of the „Parador de El Saler“ and immediately gathered for lunch before the tour group moved into their rooms. As soon as we were set up, we went to the training ground for the first time. Fits and some tactical procedures were on the agenda, then a check mark could be made on the first day.

As with previous visits, this January the Lilies will once again have optimal conditions for good preparation for the second half of the season. “The facility is very quiet, we are among ourselves, the place is right next to the hotel, the conditions are great,” summarised Riedel.

There are eight training sessions scheduled, plus the friendly match on Saturday (January 11th) against Swiss first division club FC St. Gallen.

In addition to the injured Paul Will, Matthias Bader and Isac Lidberg, the training camp also comes too early for Christoph Zimmermann. Fabian Holland is missing due to illness. Klaus Gjasula is not currently in training camp, but is holding talks with another club at his own request.