Rot-Weiss Essen is having a season that is worrying for fans and sponsors alike. There are problems on many levels. An analysis.

After narrowly avoiding relegation in their first year after their long-awaited promotion to the 3rd division, Rot-Weiss Essen had a brilliant start to their second year, which almost ended in the 2nd Bundesliga or at least in the relegation play-offs. In the end, RWE finished in an excellent seventh place in the table.

It’s clear that dreams of a third season in the 3rd league after more than a decade away from professional soccer were bound to arise. Soccer fans can and should dream. But those in charge should not.

And that brings us to problem area 01 of a total of 07 identified in the RWE analysis.

Issue 01: Squad planning

RWE received a lot of rejections on the market. To name just a few players who turned down Rot-Weiss and decided to go elsewhere: Kaan Caliskaner (moved from Eintracht Braunschweig to Motor Lublin in Poland), Torge Paetow (SC Verl – Preußen Münster), Jakob Lewald (Dynamo Dresden – SV Sandhausen), Julian Kania (1. FC Nürnberg – Arminia Bielefeld), Antonio Foti (Eintracht Frankfurt – Borussia Dortmund II) and Lex-Tyger Lobinger (1. FC Kaiserslautern – Viktoria Köln).

That’s six players that RS knows RWE was courting and desperately wanted to lure to Hafenstraße. This means that, in the end, Plan A hardly worked out for RWE – only in the cases of Michael Schultz and Ahmet Arslan were the club able to sign their absolute dream players.

However, it is also true that Ramien Safi chose RWE over offers from Alemannia Aachen and Arminia Bielefeld that were ready to be signed.

But getting only two or three players you want in a summer transfer window is a bit meager. RWE had to resort to Plan B too often in its squad planning because Plan A could not be realized. And yet, professional soccer director Marcus Steegmann and sporting director Christian Flüthmann certainly did not do a bad job. According to our information, the duo had to fight for an increase in the budget for squad planning for a long time. It even went so far that there was email correspondence between the sporting management and board member Alexander Rang. In the end, the budget for the professional players was increased slightly, as Essen’s CEO Marc-Nicolai Pfeifer confirmed in an interview with this editorial team.

Problem area 02: No replacements found for Götze, Sapina, and Obuz

Anyone who thought that the departures of Felix Götze, Vinko Sapina, and Marvin Obuz would not hurt the team is currently being proven wrong. Finding replacements is one thing, but finding replacements who work is another. At first glance, players such as Schultz, Arslan, Boyamba, and Safi seem to be able to keep up with the departures mentioned above. But that may only be the case at first glance. Currently, RWE has no axis. Golz, Götze, Sapina, and Obuz were the RWE axis of the past.

Currently, Jakob Golz is holding his own, then there’s a gap, then Arslan comes in and then there’s nothing to see again. Players like Schultz and Kraulich are performing inconsistently. Even José-Enrique Rios Alonso is barely recognizable. The reason: he needs a perfect partner at his side to guide him – just like Götze did.

RWE sorely misses Obuz’s 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists). Eight players have been involved in the 15 goals scored so far. Sure, some will say that’s a good thing because it makes RWE less predictable. But the fact is that every good team needs a goal scorer, a top scorer, or a player who can make a difference. At RWE, the only player who comes close to filling this role is Arslan.

Vinko Sapina: What a send-off he got on social media. 250,000 euros for the RWE captain. A good deal, many said. But now even those who are well-disposed toward RWE have to admit: there is no replacement for Sapina! These shoes are still too big for Jimmy Kaparos to fill. He, Arslan, and Torben Müsel tend to play more offensively. The defense is neglected, leaving a gap between the midfield and the back line. Sapina was the perfect vacuum cleaner, the engine that set the pace of the game and kept an eye on everything. Of course, he also had his weak phases and struggled with his knee. But ultimately, he was the thinker and leader in RWE’s game. There is currently no one like him in Christoph Dabrowski’s team.

And, not to be overlooked: Sapina kept the RWE dressing room clean. The Croatian was the boss. His word carried weight. He also looked after his compatriot Leonardo Vonic and, when necessary, gave him a verbal kick up the backside. Even the cool Vonic respected Sapina’s authority and ultimately had a good season, scoring nine goals and providing six assists in 35 third division games.

Problem area 03: Hafenstraße

Rot-Weiss Essen was one of the best home teams in the third division last season. This season, however, the picture is different: two wins, one draw, three defeats. As a result, RWE is one of the four worst home teams.

On average, more than 15,000 fans attend games at the stadium on Hafenstraße. It has always been said that this ground in Bergeborbeck is very special, that it is difficult to survive in Essen. But this myth has long since been dispelled. Even SC Verl, without wishing to offend the East Westphalians, came to Hafenstraße and won 3-1.

The Hafenstraße backdrop hardly impresses a third division team anymore. And that’s where the problem lies: the players need to lead the way and show their opponents in the catacombs that this is a special place. Then comes the performance on the pitch and ultimately in the stands. The team and the fans need to play one-two passes again and gradually revive the Hafenstraße myth. RWE proved last season that it can be done.