Just three days after the 4-0 defeat at SpVgg Unterhaching, Rot-Weiss Essen will host SC Verl. Coach Christoph Dabrowski has a clear mission for his team.
Even after last Wednesday’s game at SpVgg Unterhaching, Christoph Dabrowski was already complaining about the “huge discrepancy” between the game against Dynamo Dresden, which they still managed to win 3:1 at home, and the 0:4 defeat at the promoted club. “We saw a game where we did not perform with the necessary consistency in all phases of the game,” the coach analyzed his team’s performance two days later at the press conference.
For sustainable success, the Essen team lacks consistency this season. “If we want to take faster next steps, then we have to be able to call up the things that such a game requires after such an exhilarating game against Dresden three days later in Haching, or even two weeks ago against Ulm (1:2, editor’s note). That’s a process and a development that the team has to make,” Dabrowski emphasized.
In Unterhaching, he said, “the last bit of aggressiveness” was lacking, especially when conceding goals. However, he added that the events of the week had been quickly analyzed. “We talked about it and were self-critical. Now we have put it behind us because we don’t have much time. We don’t want to dwell on it for long, we know we can do better – especially in our Hafenstrasse fortress.”
A performance improvement “nothing stands in the way”
Around 15,000 spectators – including 150 guests – are expected there on Saturday (2 p.m.) against SC Verl. The objective is clear: “It’s about showing a different face. So far, we’ve presented ourselves very well at home, so there’s nothing in the way of us delivering a different game on Saturday.”
However, RWE will then face SC Verl, a team that should be brimming with confidence. “The last game was of course an absolute highlight for Verl,” said Dabrowski, looking back at Sport-Club’s 3-1 win over Arminia Bielefeld in the East Westphalia derby.
Dabrowski predicts a “very difficult game”.
Accordingly, the 45-year-old expects a “very difficult game” against a “strong-playing team that likes to run the ball, play through the center and always attack aggressively and intensively.”
However, the coach knows what is important. “Above all, we need the necessary consistency in our tackling and forward play. We need to finish off the attacks, get a higher quality cross onto the pitch and also be much more present in the box possession again,” Dabrowski demanded.
But it should not only be about the fight and long balls. “In addition, we also have to show the opponent in possession that we are a team that can run the ball and control the game in certain phases. Those will be the challenges. “