Third-division club Rot-Weiss Essen goes into the well-deserved winter break. Before that, the players receive a forecast report card.

19 games, 33 points: Rot-Weiss Essen played a strong first half of 2023/24, which was crowned by the 3:2 win against Hallescher FC.

In December 2023, RWE is one of the contenders for a relegation place. Even though momentum changes quickly in this league, the third-division club has managed to establish itself at the top.

Before the winter break begins, the RWE players will receive a forecast report. Only players who have played at least five times in the 3rd division were taken into consideration for an assessment.

Note: The suspended ex-captain Felix Bastians and the long-injured Thomas Eisfeld (three months without action) were not rated. We rated a total of 18 players, here is part 1:

Jakob Golz:

The goalkeeper was an absolute constant in the Essen team. When he was called upon, he was there. His gala performance at Viktoria Köln (0:0) in particular will live long in the memory. Jakob Golz is undoubtedly one of the best third division keepers of the 2023/24 season.

Forecasting grade: very good minus (1-)

Andreas Wiegel:

Andreas Wiegel had lost his starting place to Eric Voufack in the middle of the first half of the season because he was missing with an injury in the turning point against BVB II (2:1). Before that, he had had a pitch-black day against Verl (0:5) like many of his teammates. As a substitute, last year’s top performer provided important impetus in the last-minute victories against Duisburg (2:1), Bielefeld (2:1) and Halle (3:2).

Forecasting grade: satisfactory (3)

Eric Voufack:

The right-back slipped into the starting eleven for Wiegel on matchday eleven and was always on the pitch from the start from then on. With Eric Voufack in the first eleven, RWE won a total of seven out of ten games. The 22-year-old is an asset, regularly getting involved in the attack, but still has room for improvement in his work against the ball. He needs to improve there.

Forecasting grade: satisfactory (3)

Felix Götze:

The 25-year-old is one of the biggest discoveries of the first half of the year. After being deployed as a central defender by Christoph Dabrowski, Felix Götze delivered one strong performance after another. He is uncompromising in tackles, strong with his head and extremely technically adept. The following statistics show just how important the Dortmund native is: RWE conceded three of their six defeats when Götze was not in the starting eleven. Forecasting grade: very good minus (1-)