The top match between EneRösler on Strompf: “We never let anyone in the family down”
It didn’t take long to identify the unlucky player of the evening at VfL Bochum. Philipp Strompf apologized in the locker room for his mistakes, but from the rest of the team, there were only words of encouragement.
Philipp Strompf was the unlucky player on Wednesday evening when VfL Bochum was eliminated from the cup by VfB Stuttgart. First, he caused the own goal that made it 0–1; shortly before halftime, he was sent off following a VAR review for a professional foul.
It was a rough night, but no one blamed him. On the contrary: In the locker room, the center back apologized to the team.
Bochum’s coach, Uwe Rösler, explained afterward: “I was moved by how he said it, how he conveyed it. And I think that really resonated with everyone in the locker room.”
He added: “He’s family, and we never let anyone in the family down. You can make mistakes, but what matters is how you bounce back from them. I have no doubts about Pippo in that regard.”
Left back Maximilian Wittek also came to the coach’s defense. “Of course Pippo was down, but it happens—you have an off day. We’ll lift his spirits quickly now; that’s what a team is for. Pippo has become a key pillar of the team, plays at a very high level, and we’ll need him again on Saturday.”
That’s when they’ll face Arminia Bielefeld at the Ruhrstadion. And the Bochum players want to build on what they’ve started in recent weeks. After all, the trend—as their performance against VfB also showed—is heading in the right direction.
Wittek also emphasized after the game against the defending DFB Cup champions that the team could be very satisfied, because: “The most important thing is that we can say after the game that we gave it our all. If you look at how the game unfolded, things couldn’t have gone any more unluckily for us. Going down 0–2 right after halftime was more or less the deciding factor. But we didn’t concede any more goals, which shows that we’ve continued to improve and have made progress over the past few weeks.”
And now we need to build on that when Bielefeld comes to Bochum on Saturday. Wittek looks ahead: “Advancing would, of course, have been a nice bonus, but our full focus is on the league and now on Bielefeld on Saturday. We need to recover well now and go into that match with full energy.”
Energie Cottbus and MSV Duisburg are set for a battle at the top of the table. MSV coach Dietmar Hirsch will be without one of his key players.
When Energie Cottbus hosts MSV Duisburg on Saturday (December 6, 2:00 p.m.) for the top match of Matchday 17 in the 3. Liga, both teams will be fighting for nothing less than the top spot in the standings. Duisburg coach Dietmar Hirsch and his team aim to defend their position at the top with a win.
Second-place Cottbus is tied on points with Duisburg and trails by just one goal in goal difference. Should both teams split the points this weekend, third-place SC Verl could also jump to the top of the standings, provided they win their away match against TSV Havelse.
MSV coach Hirsch is already fired up for the upcoming match. He notes that it’s not a given that two teams would face off in such a high-stakes match at this point in the season, and that both teams have more than earned this showdown based on their performances so far.
“There will be a great atmosphere, and it will be a positively intense and emotional match. Cottbus is a team that rightfully belongs up there; they defend very well and, above all, have a very compact formation. That means we’ll have to be very patient with the ball,” Hirsch explained at the pre-match press conference.
We have to try to keep the opponent out of our penalty area and impose our game through both quick transitions and calm periods of possession
Dietmar Hirsch
Furthermore, Duisburg’s successful coach warned about the individual quality of the upcoming opponent. In particular, Tolcay Cigerci (11 goals, 6 assists) and Erik Engelhardt (10 goals, 1 assist) are players capable of making the difference.
“They play very boldly with the ball and have a strikingly high number of players in the box. At times, they have five or six players in the box, and there’s always a lot going on there,” Hirsch explained. “We have to try to keep the opponent out of our box and impose our game through both quick transitions and composed periods of possession.”
Against Cottbus, Hirsch will have to do without key player Joshua Bitter. During Duisburg’s 3-1 win over Alemannia Aachen last matchday, the right back received his fifth yellow card and is therefore suspended for the upcoming top-of-the-table clash.
“Mert Göckan would be one option to replace him, but that doesn’t have to be the final decision. We’re trying out a few things and still have other options,” Hirsch revealed. “Leon Müller has already played in that position, and Niklas Jessen is also a natural right back. So we have a few options we can fall back on.”
The roughly 1,000 traveling MSV fans will find out by Saturday afternoon at the latest who will ultimately take Bitter’s place in the starting lineup and whether Duisburg can defend its top spot in the standings.