Uwe Rösler’s first competitive match is coming up. In the 2nd Bundesliga, they will face Hertha BSC. Rösler on changes in the team Former RWE coach Christian Neidhart has found a new club

Christian Neidhart is back: this time, his task is to save a regional league club from relegation.

Christian Neidhart is back on the bench in the regional league. The former head coach of Rot-Weiss Essen is taking over the northern regional league club Blau-Weiß Lohne.

“Of course, I haven’t missed what has been happening in Lohne in recent years. Their performances in the DFB Cup in particular have made this likeable club known throughout Germany, and everyone has been able to get a feel for the good work being done at this traditional and family-run club. For me, the discussions with those responsible were decisive. They were characterized by trust, but also curiosity about how I would like to restore stability to the team. Of course, the proximity to my home also plays a major role. I am already looking forward to being able to work virtually on my doorstep,” said Neidhart on his start with the team currently second from bottom in the Northern Regional League.

After winning the Lower Saxony Cup, Lohne was allowed to compete in the DFB Cup this season, but lost 2-0 to SpVgg Fürth in the first round.

Neidhart’s main task now is to keep Lohne in the Regionalliga Nord. He will make his debut on Saturday, October 18, against Eintracht Norderstedt. At the beginning of his career, Neidhart was assistant coach at VfB Oldenburg, BV Cloppenburg, and later at SV Wilhelmshaven. In 2013, Neidhart moved to SV Meppen, where he became a figurehead as sporting director and coach. Under his leadership, the club won the Regionalliga Nord championship in 2017 and was promoted to the 3. Liga. He then completed his training as a soccer coach and received his UEFA Pro license in 2018. After seven years in Meppen, he took over Rot-Weiss Essen in 2020. Although he was dismissed two match days before the end of the 2021/2022 season at RWE, he is considered the promotion coach at Hafenstraße. In 2022, he moved to third division club Waldhof Mannheim, which he coached for a year. For the 2023/24 season, he took over Kickers Offenbach in the Regionalliga Südwest. There, he missed out on promotion and was dismissed last summer. Now Neidhart is signing on at Lohne. VfL Bochum will play Hertha BSC on Saturday (October 18, 8:30 p.m.).

The personnel situation looks good, with only Ibrahima and Ibrahim Sissoko, Kevin Vogt, and Koji Miyoshi likely to be out due to injury. After a week and a half, Rösler has already been able to initiate changes.

In the press conference ahead of the Hertha game, he spoke about …

… the national players: “We have to take it as it is. All teams have to contend with players being called up. They will train normally on Friday and can then help us on Saturday. Gerrit Holtmann has only done one video session with us; he came back very late. He will train tomorrow and is an option for Saturday.“

… Ibrahim Sissoko: ”He has knee problems that we can’t get under control. It’s a shame, he played well against Aachen. It would be important to have him fit to provide competition for Philipp Hofmann.“

… Francis Onyeka: ”He scored six goals during the international break, he has good momentum and has performed well in training. He’s on my list. I don’t know whether he’ll start or come off the bench.”

… Philipp Hofmann: “I’m optimistic that I can get him into spaces where he can be dangerous. When you have a big striker, he’s always going to be a target player. I’m glad he’s extended his contract here and that I can work with him.”

The new generation of players communicates very little; in some cases, they are over-coached in the youth academies. They don’t learn to make their own decisions.

Uwe Rösler

… potential penalty takers: “I haven’t given it any thought so far. I know that Francis Onyeka has shown in international matches that he can do it. I’ve taken note of that.“

… communication on the pitch: ”That’s an issue I’ve had at every club over the past ten years, even internationally. The new generation of players communicates very little; in some cases, they are over-coached in the youth academies. You don’t learn to make your own decisions. Everyone has to feel responsible, and Niklas Jahn does that excellently. We have a long way to go in that regard. If you want to win, you have to communicate. That makes you better in the game yourself.“

… the squad against Hertha: ”Moritz-Broni Kwarteng will be there; he can help us tremendously with the ball. He’s been training really well, he’s very dynamic. We can’t overdo it with his playing time, but he’ll definitely be in the squad. Niklas Jahn can be hopeful. I can’t confirm anything yet, the squad for the match day hasn’t been decided yet.”

… possible changes: “There will definitely be some. I’ve played a lot with a back three and a back five in recent years, I’m a fan of it. The way I interpret the back three, you need the right type of players for it. I’m still pondering whether we’ll play with a back three or a back four.”

… his first competitive game: “I’m definitely looking forward to it. Saturday evening under the floodlights. The spectators need to understand that we can only come out of this as a community. It’s our responsibility to spark the flame. The fans are nervous with us and need to understand that the team needs help. It’s give and take. I’ll tell the players that too. As long as we play with passion and offensively, we can’t go wrong.”

… Hertha BSC: “They are one of the best counterattacking teams. Our defense must be absolutely top-notch, and a little luck always helps. We have to play in areas where they have problems. They play quite high up, so there will be space behind them. Set pieces and occupying the penalty area will be important.”