TSV 1860 Munich is severely depleted going into its first second-half match of the 3rd league against Rot-Weiss Essen. Eleven players are out!
Ahead of TSV 1860 Munich’s match against Rot-Weiss Essen, the hosts’ injury list is very long.
It was already known at the beginning of the week that coach Kauczinski would be without defenders Sean Dulic, Manuel Pfeifer (both muscle tears), Jesper Verlaat (calf problems), midfielders Thore Jacobsen (yellow-red suspension), Max Christiansen (hip surgery), Tunay Deniz (cruciate ligament tear), and striker Sigurd Haugen (broken jaw), including several key players, would be missing.
Now four more 1860 professionals have joined the list: striker Florian Niederlechner (hip flexor problems), number one Thomas Dähne (flu-like infection), and midfielders Morris Schröter (training deficit) and Samuel Althaus (hip flexor). This means that Kauczinski will be missing eleven players against RWE – a whole team!
Despite this predicament, the coach has no reason to complain, probably because this situation is nothing new to him. “I’ve been through this before. At Wehen Wiesbaden, I only had 14 or 15 players left. Nevertheless, we won 3-0 against Waldhof Mannheim,” recalls Kauczinski.
They are a top team that is in contention for promotion and has a good balance. Both teams stand for a mixture of fight and play. That’s why it will be an exciting task. I always play to win.
Markus Kauczinski
Of course, he worked with his coaching team and the medical department to investigate the causes. However, nothing specific could be determined. “It’s a mishmash of many things. That’s just the way it is, but we are still in a position to field a good team,” explains 55-year-old Kauczinski, announcing: “There will be a first appearance in the third division in one position.”
This is likely to be the second defensive midfielder. Althaus was the first choice for this position, but now Damjan Dordan and U17 World Cup runner-up Loris Husic are ready to step in. It makes sense that Kauczinski took both of them to the training camp in Belek, as Dordan had already been training with the pros for several weeks.
The same applies to Noah Klose. Only Finn Fuchs, who is replacing Schröter in the matchday squad, was not in Turkey, but he has already completed several training sessions with the third division team in the past. This means that Kauczinski – unlike during his time at Wehen Wiesbaden – has a full 20-man squad at his disposal. “I see a lot of carefreeness and cheekiness in the young players, which I enjoy. I hope that the fans will give special support to the players who are making their debut. If everything else is right, then you can also support a young player!”
Nevertheless, there will be no youth team on the pitch on Saturday. “With Hobsch, Volland, Maier, Philipp and Reinthaler, we still have a lot of experienced players on the pitch,” says the coach, referring to the age structure. In addition, 35-year-old René Vollath will be between the posts. The goalkeeper coach is being given preference over young Paul Bachmann. “Paul is an up-and-coming talent,” says Kauczinski, who thinks highly of the 20-year-old, “but he missed the training camp. That’s why it wasn’t a big decision for me. René has always proven that you can rely on him. Against Winterthur, he showed that he has the understanding and basic fitness despite his advanced age.“
Kauczinski, who was born in Gelsenkirchen, says of opponents Rot-Weiss Essen: ”They are a top team that is in contention for promotion and has a good balance. Both teams stand for a mixture of fight and play. That’s why it will be an exciting task. I always play to win. Everything else has to be analyzed afterwards. Good compactness in all areas will be important. We have to get the basics right on the pitch. That will be crucial. I’m looking forward to an intense game at home. We want to play well, give everything and try to make life as difficult as possible for our opponents!”