Things are going like clockwork at Rot-Weiss Essen. At best, this great RWE season 2023/2024 will end in a promotion place. The reasons for the success are obvious.

The Rot-Weiss Essen team and staff are a close-knit bunch – on and off the pitch. Quite simply, this team spirit is also the recipe for success for the Red-Whites.

Christoph Dabrowski, successful coach of the third division club, emphasized once again at the matchday press conference ahead of the trip to 1. FC Saarbrücken (Wednesday, April 24, 7 p.m., Forecasting live ticker): “As a coaching team, we are extremely proud of the squad. We’ve also committed the boys once again to the hot final phase of the season and made it clear that all personal sensitivities must now be put aside. That we want to and can be successful together if everyone thinks about the big picture. The team has understood this and has worked hard to achieve it. The key to success lies in the fact that the guys coming off the bench also provide impetus.”

Speaking of the bench: sitting next to Dabrowski is a man named Paul Freier. A former international (19 caps) and Bundesliga player (249, plus 129 appearances in the 2nd division).

Since last summer, Dabrowski has not only had Lars Fleischer, who is responsible for the analysis, at his disposal as assistant coach, but also his Polish compatriot and friend from their time together in Bochum, Freier.

According to RS information, Freier is extremely popular with the team. He is always up for a bit of fun and likes to listen to the team.

But Freier isn’t just a mood booster, as Dabrowski emphasizes: “We didn’t bring Slawo in as a good mood bear. Above all, he’s a great person who works very meticulously. He’s a great addition to Lars. But the human and professional components also apply to Lars Fleischer, Manuel Lenz and everyone else in the coaching team and the entire staff. We all benefit from each other. I would like to praise Lars once again at this point. He was always by my side, even in the difficult times last year. He is a very good and loyal assistant.”

Rot-Weiss Essen: Third goalkeeper Ole Springer also plays a big role

While we were on the subject of the bench: Ole Springer is often missing on this one. As the third goalkeeper behind Jakob Golz and Felix Wienand, there is often only a place for him in the stands. But it was different in Mannheim. Springer was on the bench and, after the 2:0 victory, was also to be seen as a motivator in the team circle.

“Our goalkeeping coach Manuel Lenz was at his son’s confirmation on Sunday and couldn’t make the trip to Mannheim. Ole stood in for Manuel. In his role as third goalkeeper, he plays an important role not only on the pitch, but also off it with his experience. He is very important for us in the dressing room,” praises Dabrowski.

He also reveals: “After the game, the team chooses a person in the circle and they always say a few words to the squad. This time the choice fell on Ole Springer. But what he said is better kept between us (laughs).” It remains to be seen who will be the next person to make an announcement in the RWE team circle after a win in Saarbrücken