Rot-Weiss Essen prepares for the league leaders after the humiliation in Rostock. RWE coach Dabrowski fears for two key players.
Things got off to a lively start on Wednesday afternoon at the training ground on Hafenstraße. The coaching team of third-division soccer club Rot-Weiss Essen had organized an internal small-sided tournament with six teams of three players for the second session of the day.
The focus was on tackling and shooting, with each team’s goals being counted. After the intense session, assistant coach Lars Fleischer announced the results. “Team Yellow” with Jimmy Kaparos, Torben Müsel, and Ramien Safi scored the most goals.
At this point, Ahmet Arslan was already in the dressing room. The Essen playmaker had been lying on the wet turf after a tackle with Julian Eitschberger and was holding his ankle.
Although the 30-year-old signaled that it wasn’t serious, he had to stop training. Essen were unable to give a prognosis immediately after training.
Rot-Weiss Essen against Cottbus with Brumme and Kraulich
Three days before the home game against league leaders Energie Cottbus, it is also unclear whether Manuel Wintzheimer will be fit and in full possession of his powers. The center forward is suffering from muscle problems, which is why the player on loan from 1. FC Nürnberg was unable to train on Wednesday.
Only Lucas Brumme and Tobias Kraulich missed the afternoon session. However, the recently injured defenders were present in the morning and later sat out due to load management. Coach Christoph Dabrowski can assume that both will be available on Saturday.
Should Wintzheimer be unavailable, a replacement is already lined up. Leonardo Vonic had lost his place in the starting line-up to the in-form striker and had to settle for a role as a substitute. The 21-year-old last started on September 14. Coach Dabrowski had demanded that the Croatian prove himself in training. Vonic has done just that so far this week. He looked determined in training on Wednesday and was very accurate. He is also said to have impressed in previous sessions, according to team sources.
Rot-Weiss Essen: Team meeting after Rostock debacle
After the 0-4 defeat at Hansa Rostock, a reaction is expected from the Essen team, which has slipped into a relegation spot, against the strong newcomers from Cottbus. A players’ meeting at the beginning of the week was also part of the debriefing after the Rostock game. After the defeat in Unterhaching (0-2) at the beginning of September, the RWE pros had already sat down without their coaches to exchange opinions.
Whether the discussion will have an effect this time will be seen in the next few difficult games. After the Cottbus game, RWE will face Erzgebirge Aue (A), SV Sandhausen (H), and 1. FC Saarbrücken (A). Without the necessary intensity, the Red and Whites are facing an unpleasant month of November.