Before the start of the winter preparations for the 3rd division, the remaining twelve MSV Duisburg professionals receive their individual critique.

After 13 MSV Duisburg players already received their half-year report card in the first part (read here), only the second part follows with the remaining twelve players. The focus here is on the offense.

Kolja Pusch

Adductor problems and a flu set the ten-man back in the fall, but the former Uerdingen player has been a starter since the end of November and scored a dream goal against Dresden. Nevertheless, Pusch does not make enough of an impact overall.

Forecasting grade: satisfactory minus (3-).

Alaa Bakir

Bakir continues to be plagued by injuries. Apart from six of the first seven games in which he failed to live up to expectations, the winger was sidelined due to meniscus problems.

Forecasting grade: sufficient (4)

Hamza Anhari

The young Anhari was substituted ten times and was not in the squad twice recently. The home-grown player is still eligible to play for the U19s and missed a huge opportunity in the narrow home defeat against Ingolstadt in mid-November with the score at 1-2 shortly before the end.

Forecasting grade: sufficient (4).

Alexander Esswein

The big-earning attacking player with plenty of Bundesliga experience, who had been earmarked as Stoppelkamp’s successor, is the biggest disappointment of the first half of the season. The veteran scored the first striker’s goal against Ingolstadt from the penalty spot, but also seems to have an attitude problem. The result: Boris Schommers has hardly substituted the 33-year-old recently.

Forecasting grade: poor (5).

Niklas Kölle

After his long shoulder injury, Kölle is the beacon of hope at MSV. The left winger fully identifies with the club and is one of the few attacking players who can be trusted to deliver a stroke of genius. Since his comeback in mid-November, the summer signing from the previous season has quickly developed into a key player and scored three goals in the last three games of the year.

Forecasting grade: very good minus (1-).

Thomas Pledl

Pledl suffered the same fate as Kölle and did not come back quite as strong as his attacking partner. The former Bundesliga player is good at dribbling, but misses too many big chances. However, we can still expect a lot from him in the second half of the season.

Forecasting grade: satisfactory (3).

Tim Köther

The 22-year-old can be deployed flexibly on the left flank. After starting up front, Schommers moved the former Heidenheim player back into the back four. He is the opposite of Baran Mogultay. Defensively, Köther is susceptible, but at least he dares to make the occasional dangerous cross.

Forecasting grade: sufficient (4).

Robin Müller

Both Ziegner and Schommers quickly put their trust in Müller. The substitute initially struggled to make the leap from the Regionalliga to the 3rd division. His first goal of the season against Dresden showed the potential of the former St. Pauli player.

Forecasting grade: sufficient (4).

That leaves the four skilled strikers. Pascal Köpke, Benjamin Girth, Chinedu Ekene and Phillip König have scored zero goals between them. For this reason alone, the quartet deserves a poor forecasting grade (5).

Ekene was allowed to prove himself ten times, but he lacks third division class. He was not even in the squad six times in a row in the final spurt, but is also injured. The same applies to König. After a brief flare-up in the summer preparations, the 23-year-old is not in the squad more often than he is on the pitch.

The duo Ziegner and Ralf Heskamp had hoped for a lot from Köpke. However, the son of former national team keeper Andreas Köpke was also miles behind his top form. Added to this is his great susceptibility to injury. Knee problems have kept the striker out of action since October 21. Return: unknown.

Girth, on the other hand, proved at least in pre-season that he knows where the goal is. Against Dresden, the former Braunschweig man only played from the start because Sebastian Mai was suspended. It is not without reason that at least one new striker with at best second division experience should be signed in the winter