Msv Duisburg won their home match against Halle (1:0) with a three-man backline and a one-two. The new system worked. Torsten Ziegner explained why.
For Torsten Ziegner as well as MSV sports director Ralf Heskamp, Saturday’s match was a very special one, as both met their former employers. Ziegner was in charge at HFC from 2018 to 2020, while Heskamp only moved to Duisburg in April this year.
For 90 minutes, the friendship with some old companions had to rest. In the end, Torsten Ziegner could take a deep breath. His team successfully stopped the losing streak and ensured a harmonious afternoon in the Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena with the 1:0 home victory. The fans, who were still expressing their displeasure in Oberhausen on Friday, celebrated their team long after the final whistle.
One reason for the points twelve to 14 on matchday 10 was the change of system to a three-man backline. In addition, a second striker, Philipp König, started from the beginning alongside the enormously eye-catching Aziz Bouhaddouz. It was his debut in the starting eleven, which was almost crowned with a goal. “Both of them can demand the ball, hold on to it well and help each other,” Ziegner said of his idea. The midfield, which only included captain Moritz Stoppelkamp for the last 23 minutes after overcoming a thigh injury, collected the balls again and again in exemplary fashion and fed the attackers in the penalty area.
The system naturally also harbours dangers on the counterattack. But it worked well overall.
Torsten Ziegner.
Marvin Ajani and Baran Mogultay made a lot of speed via the outsides. Playmaker Kolja Pusch, who has not been at his best under Ziegner lately, was also convincing with his assist. Marlon Frey acted as a distributor in cooperation with Marvin Bakalorz, the goalkeeper and match-winner. Niklas Kölle, Sebastian Mai and Joshua Bitter formed the back three. “Of course, the system also harbours dangers on the counterattack. But it worked well overall,” praised Ziegner.
Bitter, among others, was addressed with these words. The right-back left the pitch after 82 minutes with a bandaged knee. However, the summer newcomer quickly gave the all-clear. “It hurts a bit, but it’s probably not too bad. When you put your all into it, then one or two aches and pains don’t go unnoticed.”
The 25-year-old coped very well with the change. “We have already played it in preparation. So it wasn’t completely new territory. It worked out great. Basti (Sebastian Mai; editor’s note) gives you a good feeling. It was a unified performance by the whole squad,” praised Bitter.
