Third division club Rot-Weiss Essen had to go home empty-handed from Münster. Thomas Eisfeld spoke of a deserved defeat.

Thomas Eisfeld had a real cold start on Sunday: the 31-year-old was actually supposed to take a seat on the bench for the Westschlager between Preußen Münster and Rot-Weiss Essen, but then Essen’s Torben Müsel had to sit out after warming up and Eisfeld suddenly made it into RWE’s starting XI.

“It was only decided relatively late in the changing room with Torben. I think I’m experienced enough for that, even if it took three or four minutes to really warm up the muscles. Basically, as a professional player, you always have to be ready to come on. It was a decent performance from me, even though I can play better,” explained Eisfeld after the final whistle in an interview in the catacombs.

The experienced former second division pro surely imagined his comeback in the starting lineup in the 3rd division after almost five months differently: RWE conceded a 1:2 (1:1) defeat in Münster and missed the chance to move up to fourth place. The Prussians appeared more present and aggressive in the duels.

Eisfeld was able to confirm this impression. “We made far too many mistakes, especially at the beginning of the second half, and conceded goals very easily. Overall, Münster was a bit more tenacious and aggressive. I got the feeling that they wanted the win a bit more. We didn’t perform well enough to take anything away from this game. That’s why it was a deserved defeat. We still have to learn that if you don’t play well, you just have to take a point. It was similar in Aue,” explained the midfielder.

Eisfeld continued: ”I had the feeling that Münster won a lot of fifty-fifty balls. They went into it with the last bit of intensity and aggressiveness. But we’ve done really well so far this season and can do better. We need to analyze the game and then get the three points against Freiburg II. At home, we radiate a different intensity, which is of course also due to the fans.”

Speaking of the fans: Despite the bitter defeat in Münster, the players were given a send-off with applause and chants from the 1,190 Essen fans who had traveled with them. “That’s obviously very encouraging. There will always be setbacks. You can see what we’re trying to achieve. There’s a clear playing philosophy and DNA to recognize. Now it’s a matter of adjusting the finer details,” emphasized the veteran.