1. FC Bocholt is in the midst of a serious slump. Even against a struggling Düsseldorf reserve team, they suffered a 0-3 home defeat.
Jens Langeneke, coach of Fortuna Düsseldorf II, was relieved during the press conference following the 3-0 victory over 1. FC Bocholt. Undoubtedly: His young Fortuna players had lost four games in a row. Against 1. FC Bocholt, which is also in crisis, the team from the state capital was finally able to celebrate a victory again.
“Huge kudos to my squad,” Langeneke said after the match, addressing his team, which took the lead after 10 minutes with a header off a corner kick. Mechak Quiala Tito was on hand. René Lewejohann, coach of 1. FC Bocholt, was frustrated by the goal conceded on a set piece: “Of course, we’d discussed set pieces. I thought we’d put that behind us, that we were more solid there. That wasn’t the case.”
After that, the game remained wide open for a long time; Bocholt tried hard but ultimately had to open up to get something out of the match. This created openings that Fortuna’s top scorer, Deniz Bindemann, was able to exploit to score his ninth and tenth goals of the season (78th, 88th).
When points are on the line, your mind gets blocked. You’re desperate to make something happen, but you’re a bit stuck.
René Lewejohann
“When it comes to points, your mind goes blank. You’re desperate to make something happen, but you’re a bit blocked—though that’s not meant to be an excuse,” Lewejohann said after the game, searching for an explanation. One thing is certain: Bocholt is in a crisis. Their last league win dates back to November 2 of last year. Since then, the team has gone six games without a win, losing five of them.
Even moving Christopher Schorch to a supporting role didn’t bring the desired success. New coach Lewejohann, too, was unable to turn things around in his first two league games. He doesn’t want to paint a bleak picture, but he isn’t sugarcoating anything either.
“At the end of the day, this is part of our journey this season,” explained the 41-year-old. A season that already seems to have gone awry, as many experts had expected the Bocholt team to be a promotion contender. Lewejohann’s approach: “We have to accept the situation. Of course, we’ll address things bluntly in the locker room, but with a certain amount of respect. The goal is to build up the guys.”
