Felix Wienand had to sit in the stands twice at RWE because Jaka Cuber Potocnik was not the only U23 player who was unavailable. Uwe Koschinat answered questions about both players.

Felix Wienand and Jaka Cuber Potocnik are two players in the Rot-Weiss Essen squad who probably imagined the season would be different. On the one hand, there is number two Wienand, who was able to play in the first two third division games due to an injury to Jakob Golz, but has already been rotated out of the squad twice.

On the other hand, there is Cuber Potocnik, who is already lamenting his second muscle injury. At least Wienand will play in the Niederrhein Cup at Rot-Weiß Oberhausen on Saturday (2 p.m.). The announcement is clear: Wienand will be in goal for the cup game.

In the league, he has recently fallen victim twice to the U23 rule, according to which four U23 players must be listed on the match report. Since Essen’s number three, Malte Brünning, meets the criteria, he was nominated because some U23 players had to pass. Wienand was the one who suffered.

Ahead of the RWO game, RWE coach Uwe Koschinat said of his number two: “We moderated this early on. Felix is number one in the cup, but here he’s going into goal in a completely different situation. He has shown in the third division as well as in the semifinals and finals of the Lower Rhine Cup that he has no problem at all picking up momentum quickly. That was one reason why we extended his contract; we can see the quality he has.”

He would like to prove this more often, but he has the problem that, unlike last season, he has outgrown the U23 rule. And when there are problems, he has to make way. Koschinat: “It’s an unpleasant situation that you can’t nominate players based solely on performance. A few strategic things are dictated by the DFB. We have put together the squad accordingly and discussed the situation openly with Felix.”

On Saturday, he will once again have the opportunity to show what he can do in front of a large crowd. Cuber Potocnik, another player who would meet the U23 rule, will have to wait a little longer. Three appearances in the league, two games in the Niederrhein Cup, a total of two goals and one assist. That’s his record so far. He has already been sidelined twice with muscle injuries.

It’s an unpleasant situation that you can’t nominate players based solely on performance.

Uwe Koschinat

Koschinat urges patience with the Slovenian U21 striker. “From a psychological point of view, it’s always something that needs to be worked on with the player. As a club, we have to initiate a development process that is essential for him to reach a really good level. He simply wasn’t in a condition where you could say you could treat him like all the other players. We have to invest a lot of time and training intensity, but he’s going along with it without reservation. He sees RWE as a place where he wants to play his way into the spotlight. That’s only possible if he’s in the best possible physical condition. On the other hand, setbacks like this always hurt, because he was actually on the rise after his goal against Aachen. A setback like this hurts, it affects a player. However, we have a clear path with him, on which there may be setbacks.“

A setback that Koschinat also regrets, because he was convinced ”that Jaka could help us very quickly with his ability to find his way around the penalty area.” Now the player has to take another lap of honor before he can help Essen again.

Small success: Next week, after individual work with the ball, he is to be partially integrated into team training. However, the coach has already made it clear that a full return is not yet on the cards.