After three wins in a row, the U19 team of Rot-Weiss Essen had to share the points in the derby with Rot-Weiß Oberhausen. Two RWE regulars were substituted early.

After the U19 team of Rot-Weiss Essen had emerged victorious from all three of their previous league games, the team of RWE coach Simon Hohenberg could not get past a 0-0 draw in the derby against Rot-Weiß Oberhausen.

“From a coaching perspective, I thought it was generally not a good game. There were too many technical inaccuracies, especially in the passing game. I’m not exactly satisfied with our performance either, but I do think that in the end it was a fair draw,” commented Hohenberg after the game.

In particular, the Red & White U19 coach saw untapped potential in RWO’s possession phases: “We had more of the ball and more possession. We were the team that was required to find solutions. Oberhausen relied a lot on transition play and long balls.”

Although RWE’s U19s did not concede a goal for the first time since the first matchday (5-0 against VfL Rhede), that did not make up for the deficits against Oberhausen for Hohenberg: “We allowed a brutal number of set-pieces against us. We defended well against them, but it also had something to do with individual class. We have to avoid fouls in these areas. And we have to be more determined in the final third. I am critical of my team in these areas. It was not good enough for our standards.”

Mats is the team captain and an absolute leader. He trained with the pros during the week. Regardless of that, we judge by performance. Then I don’t think it’s wrong for a captain to leave the field after 75 minutes.

Simon Hohenberg

With regard to the changes made by the 37-year-old during the game, two substitutions in particular stood out. For one thing, RWE talent Yan Friessner did not return to the pitch after halftime. “Yan is coming back from a long injury break. He hasn’t been able to train fully all week, so the load had to be managed. It is completely normal for us to ease him back into it,” Hohenberg explained.

On the other hand, captain Mats Brune was substituted after 75 minutes without showing any signs of injury. ”Mats is the captain of the team and an absolute leader. He trained with the pros during the week. Regardless of that, we judge performance. In that case, I don’t think it’s a problem if a captain has to leave the pitch after 75 minutes. It’s not a big deal, I’m completely relaxed about it,” the RWE coach said.

Due to the goalless draw, the RWE youngsters, who went into the eighth matchday as leaders, missed the opportunity to extend their lead. Their immediate pursuers TSV Meerbusch and SpVg Schönnebeck, who are both playing tomorrow (Sunday, October 28), could move ahead with victories. “I’m not that interested at this point in time. After the first half of the season, when everyone has played against everyone else, you’ll have a clear picture of the table,” emphasized Hohenberg.