SC Croatia Mülheim is on a really good run in the Kreisliga A. We spoke to sporting director Efe Özkan about the Mülheim club’s plans for the future.
It’s the winter break in the Kreisliga A. This gives us an opportunity to take a look at how the season has gone so far. At SC Croatia Mülheim, for example, things are going really well. In third place in the table with 31 points, Croatia are just three points behind the leaders, FC Taxi Duisburg. As is well known, only one team from the Kreisliga A can make the leap to the Bezirksliga, but given the constellation in the table, it would certainly be negligent not to think about promotion.
The sporting director of Croatia Mülheim, Efe Özkan, who is also the club’s goalkeeper, takes a calm approach to the subject: “Of course we want to be promoted, but we don’t necessarily have to be. We have the quality and, above all, the team spirit to achieve this goal. It’s really remarkable how high our training attendance is. That’s really cool and makes me proud.”
The season is still long and nobody can be too sure of anything too soon, especially in the tight Kreisliga A. Looking at the table, there are six teams that could duel for first place. They are all separated by just six points. That promises to be a hot dance for promotion
If we do our homework, it could look really good for us at the end of the season.
Efe Özkan
Efe Özkan also knows: “The league is really incredibly even. For example, we haven’t been able to pull off a really clear win or anything like that. That also shows how evenly matched it is, whether at the top or bottom. We definitely have everything in our own hands. If we do our homework, it could look really good for us at the end of the season.”
Now the winter break is just around the corner. Özkan hopes that the team will report back better, but is also a little annoyed about the timing: “It’s a bit of a shame. We had a really good run and reduced the gap to first place from eight to three points. But now the break is in the way. Of course, we want to make the most of it. We’re going to the city championships in January, so we won’t be out of the game for quite as long,” explained the goalkeeper.
In addition to the city championships and the subsequent tight training schedule at Croatia Mülheim, the transfer phase is of course also on the agenda. The only changes at Croatia are on the departures side: “At the start of the winter break, our goal scorer Giovanni D Amico, who has unfortunately lagged behind his form this season, left us. He was not satisfied with his playing time and we have therefore parted by mutual agreement. Apart from that, we’ll see what happens. We are very happy with our squad and are not forced to take action,” concluded Özkan.