When Rot-Weiss Essen takes on FC Ingolstadt on Saturday (November 26, 2 p.m.), Christoph Dabrowski will be warning his defense to keep a close eye on Jannik Mause.
Fourteen games, nine goals, three assists: it’s hard to imagine where FC Ingolstadt would be without Jannik Mause’s impressive statistics. Certainly not just six points behind their next opponents, Rot-Weiss Essen.
But with the 25-year-old striker in their ranks, coach Michael Köllner’s team can still realistically dream of promotion to the second division.
The “Schanzer” want to build on this against Rot-Weiss Essen and close the gap at the top. Of course, Mause is once again the hope for this endeavor.
Forecasting spoke with the former Alemannia Aachen striker, who was involved in 30 goals (22 goals, eight assists) in 56 games for Alemannia in two years.
Jannik Mause, 14 games and 12 goal contributions: Be honest: did you think before the season that you would settle in so quickly and so well in Ingolstadt?
Personally, I expected to settle in quickly at the club, in the surrounding area and in the region. The team, the coaching staff and the other staff members played a big part in this, of course. They all made it easy for me to settle in. As a result, my sporting and personal start at the Schanz has been more than successful.
When you play in the Regionalliga West, you automatically look at what Rot-Weiss Essen is doing. Nevertheless, it still surprised me.
Jannik Mause
What made settling in so easy?
It was made particularly easy by the fact that we had two intensive training camps in the summer. This allowed us to get to know each other even better, including during team evenings. This helped the team to grow together and find its feet. Ultimately, the big shake-up was a good thing for the new signings, as it meant that all the ‘newbies’ were keen to settle in quickly, which made the early days more enjoyable.
The team isn’t playing the way you had planned before the season…
Before the season, we set ourselves the goal of finding our feet quickly and then getting as many points as possible. Not least because of the major upheaval in the summer, we’ve had our ups and downs in recent months, which is perfectly normal with 12 new signings. In general, however, we need to become more consistent.
How do you assess FCI’s situation and position in the league table ahead of the Essen game?
We are currently six points behind the third-placed team. We want to reduce that gap to three points at best this weekend.
Rot-Weiss Essen comes to FC Ingolstadt in third place in the table. How much did Essen surprise you?
When you play in the Regionalliga West, you automatically look at what Rot-Weiss Essen is doing. Nevertheless, I was still surprised.
According to our information, you almost ended up in Essen. There was supposed to have been contact – is that true?
I have been a player at FC Ingolstadt 04 since the summer and couldn’t be happier. I have never commented on stories speculated in the media and will not do so now.
Where do you see Essen’s strengths?
I think every team in the 3rd division has its individual strengths, including Essen, who will try to bring these to bear against us. At this point, it’s up to us as a team to prevent them from doing so.
How many goals has Jannik Mause actually set himself – 20 plus X?
I didn’t expect to score that many at the start of the season. My goal was and still is to play as many games as possible and help my team with very good performances – which automatically includes assists and goals. As an attacking player, however, you also need that little bit of luck at one point or another.
Why will FC Ingolstadt finish ahead of Rot-Weiss Essen at the end of the season, and will FCI be promoted?
In my opinion, it’s too early to talk about the final standings at the end of the first half of the season. In this league, anyone can beat anyone – we’ve seen that several times already this season. We’ll be happy to talk about it again after the 38th match day.