Opposition Check: SSV Ulm

Lechleiter made a solid debut with relegation-threatened SSV Ulm. The club drew away at Karlsruher SC. They also won a friendly at home against 1860 Munich last Thursday (March 20). Ulm is counting on Lechleiter’s familiarity with the club, the environment, and the players. In the current situation, „there’s no need for a typical fireman who turns everything upside down,“ managing director Markus Thiele explained his decision.

On Friday (March 28, 6:30pm), SV Darmstadt travels to SSV Ulm. The first leg ended in a 1-1 draw at home against the Danube Swabians. We’ll take a closer look at Darmstadt’s upcoming opponent for you.

The signing of Robert Lechleiter could prove to be a trump card for Ulm. However, the former striker is an unknown quantity in the professional coaching business, and SSV Ulm will be Lechleiter’s first head coaching position in professional football. The 44-year-old nevertheless brings experience: Along the way, he has learned from coaching legend Jürgen Klopp and former Lilie and current DFB assistant coach Sandro Wagner.

Robert Lechleiter’s coaching career began in 2015 at TSV Aßling. At Unterhaching, he was the U19 coach from 2018 to 2020, before Lechleiter spent a year and a half as assistant coach to Sandro Wagner. „Sandro is a totally positive guy who has a great way of dealing with the team. He has a particularly good influence on young players. I also gain impressions from coaches I’ve played under myself,“ Lechleiter said in an interview with the DFB.

After his time with Wagner, he took over Unterhaching’s U19 team again before finally moving to SSV Ulm’s youth team in 2024. Since March of this year, he has been the head coach of a professional club for the first time in his career. With the Sparrows, Lechleiter aims to play an attacking and bold style of football that will keep Ulm in the second division.

Lechleiter continues to place great emphasis on team structure and the players‘ compatibility. His bold approach to attacking football may also have been inspired by former Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp. Lechleiter was able to spend a week shadowing Klopp and the Reds. Ulm fans certainly wouldn’t mind experiencing a touch of Liverpool in their Donaustadion in the future…

Ulm’s strengths lie primarily in fighting spirit and commitment. In terms of duels won, the Sparrows have the third-best record in the 2. Bundesliga with 2,832. Only Elversberg (2,835) and SSV Jahn Regensburg (2,883) have won more duels. Furthermore, with a total of 3,039 kilometers, the Danube Swabians have covered the fifth most kilometers in the 2. Bundesliga. But Ulm’s impressive performance goes beyond fighting spirit: they have scored an impressive five times from penalties and not missed a single shot. This puts them in second place in this category with Hertha BSC, behind Fortuna Düsseldorf (7).

When the final whistle sounded on May 4, 2024, there was cheering, celebrating, laughter, and tears. SSV Ulm had truly achieved it: They had made it from the Regionalliga to the 2. Bundesliga. However, Christian Ortag, the goalkeeper of SSV Ulm, only had one thing in mind that day: get off the pitch as quickly as possible, away from the team, and out of the Donaustadion. The reason for this was a special one: his wife, Laura, was in labour.

„It started in the first half, but then really started in the second,“ Ortag reported. But he barely noticed it on the pitch. Fortunately, his fellow goalkeeper, Lorenz Otto, later informed him about it. The 2-0 win against Viktoria Köln and the subsequent promotion celebration were of little interest to Ortag at this point: „My mind was immediately focused on the topic of family – how do I get to my wife quickly? (…) We were overjoyed that the timing worked out so well that we made it to the hospital together,“ he explained. There, it took only 45 minutes for their second son, Nick, to be born.

He made up for the promotion celebration a little later. „When I got out of the hospital, I joined the boys in town. But when it came to alcohol, the boys already had a head start,“ Ortag grinned.

Present. In the 2. Bundesliga, the goalkeeper is a regular member of the Sparrows‘ starting lineup – he extended his contract this season until 2028, despite having to sit out for three months due to a broken collarbone. Now, however, he’s back in top shape and helping his team with crucial saves. „Chris Ortag is an immensely important player and character for us. He embodies the values ​​of our club and team and has delivered outstanding performances in recent years. He has played a very large part in the successes we have celebrated together,“ said SSV Managing Director Markus Thiele, commenting on the goalkeeper’s significance in the context of his contract extension.