The analysis of the mentality game

Nürnberger’s injury. Less than two minutes into the game, Fabian Nürnberger injured his knee without any opponent’s involvement. A precise diagnosis was still pending after the game, but the incident had a certain impact on the match itself. „Our defensive game plan was also geared toward trusting Fabi to play one-on-one against Bernhardsson. So we had to restructure within the game, and Djanga (Boetius) played defensively in a dynamic back three,“ Florian Kohfeldt summarised after the match, adding: „In the first 25 minutes, we had to solve many problems, including systematic ones.“ Naturally, substitute Leon Klassen needed a bit of time to settle into the game, especially in the direct duel with Swedish international Alexander Bernhardsson, who repeatedly appeared in a double role on the right flank of attack with Adrian Kapralik.

Just like Klassen, the entire Lilies team found their way into the match much better after just under half an hour, with Kohfeldt speaking of a „mentality game“ his team had to play. This terminology particularly referred to the injuries to key players Kai Klefisch and Nürnberger, whose absences the team compensated for satisfactorily. „Leon and Djanga did well today,“ praised goalkeeper Marcel Schuhen after the game. Nürnberger’s early injury thus symbolised the various challenges SV 98 faced in Kiel, which they were able to overcome by earning a point. At the same time, the early substitution brought about the aforementioned change in the Lilies‘ statics and thus had a certain influence on the game. Therefore, in this case, we have opted for this rather unusual „scene of the match“ rather than, for example, one of Marcel Schuhen’s strong saves or the goal by top scorer Isac Lidberg.

Otherwise, all that remains to be said is: Get well soon, Fabi!

The mentality. The Lilies defied various adversities. They didn’t let the aforementioned injuries derail them, they fought their way into a game in which they had very little possession for 25 minutes, and even after conceding a goal, they didn’t become wild or hectic, but simply bagged the one away point. Goalkeeper Schuhen was particularly pleased by the latter fact: „In Kaiserslautern, we fell apart a bit after the equaliser; today we remained calm and stable.“

Substitutes Matej Maglica and Merveille Papela also contributed to this stability in the closing stages. Their introductions enabled the Lilies to switch to a back three, gaining more possession and winning numerous duels. Also a question of mentality. Klassen, Maglica, Papela. All three were mentally prepared to play their part and thus help the team. Speaking of „prepared in the head“… Isac Lidberg once again demonstrated his special kind of mentality: his killer instinct. After a long struggle against Kiel’s defence, the league’s top scorer took full advantage of his first real opportunity.

The point won. „Darmstadt 98’s winning streak snapped in Kiel,“ read a media headline after the final whistle of the match in the far north. The content was certainly correct, after the Lilies had previously clinched three consecutive victories. And yet, at this point, we’d rather stick with the headline from the Darmstädter Echo: „Darmstadt 98 players happy with the point in Kiel.“ Kiel put in a truly strong performance; in fact, a draw against an ambitious Bundesliga relegated team is usually a rather positive outcome. „Kiel was the strongest team we’ve played against so far this season,“ Kohfeldt summed up. No one wanted to contradict him on this Saturday afternoon. „It’s a good point for us because Kiel is a very good team,“ Aleksandar Vukotic summed it up: „Four unbeaten games feels good. We’re happy about that.“

Kohfeldt took a similar approach, briefly doing some mental math in light of the past few weeks: „We picked up ten points between the two international breaks, with a goal difference of 8:2. I’m not going home dissatisfied.“

So the end of a winning streak can certainly feel good.

The first 25 minutes. During this period, the Lilies barely managed to gain control of the game. Partly due to the adjustments and challenges following Nürnberg’s injury, SV 98’s spacing wasn’t entirely appropriate during this period. The hosts had firm control of the game, repeatedly overpowering the wing and creating several good opportunities. Furthermore, the Storks‘ excellent attacking style prevented the Lilies from developing their usual build-up play and forced them to repeatedly resort to long balls.

The precision in the final third. The Lilies also had their chances in Kiel. But there could have been a few more. „We need to continue improving our cleanliness,“ said Kohfeldt, in light of some passing errors and poor decisions in attack. „We often get into the spaces, but then we get hectic and want to do something special. It’s world-class when you time the ball to your feet with two touches. There too. We have to keep working on that.“

The goal conceded. „You have to be alert at every moment in a game like that. And we let it go down the wing once, didn’t follow up on the deep run, which allowed the cross and the dream goal. That annoys me a bit.“ There’s nothing more to add to Kohfeldt’s comments.