Just a few days late, we are now presenting you with the Forecasting team of the first half of the season in the Regionalliga West. And, of course, the coach of the first half of the season.
The table is still a bit uneven and not all teams – Rot Weiss Ahlen, SV Lippstadt and FC Wegberg-Beeck each 16 games – have played 17 games. And yet: the forecasting editorial team has given it some thought and now presents the RS eleven of the 2023/2024 Regionalliga West first half of the season, including the coach of the first half of the season.
FYI: We play in a 3-4-3 system – that means: goalkeeper, three defenders, four midfielders and three forwards.
Goal
Lucas Fox (1. FC Bocholt): The 23-year-old is the sensational leader of the Regionalliga West table. His transfer from Luxembourg club F91 Dudelange in the summer proved to be the right decision. The fact that Bocholt has conceded just 15 goals is largely thanks to the 1.93-meter goalkeeper. Most recently, in the 0-0 draw against Schalke II, coach Dietmar Hirsch praised him at the press conference: “Schalke had the majority of chances, but we had very good support in Lucas Fox.” And not just in this game. Fox has kept a clean sheet in nine of 18 matches!
Defense
Lukas Frenkert (1. FC Bocholt): The success story of 1. FC Bocholt has many faces. But according to the fans of the surprise champions of the first half of the Regionalliga West, one player stands out particularly positively: Lukas Frenkert. And the former Münster player is also in the forecasting team of the first half of the season.
Nils Winter (Alemannia Aachen): He clears everything that comes over his right side. He fits the emotional Alemannia like a glove. No wonder that he has played all 18 games so far. He has managed two assists. He was already an absolute top performer in Oberhausen and has been again since returning to Aachen.
Dominik Lanius (Fortuna Cologne): The “tall one”, Lanius measures 1.95 meters, is the defensive leader in coach Markus von Ahlen’s team. In 17 appearances, he has already scored four goals and, along the way, holds the team together at Fortuna, which has the third-best defense in the league.
Midfielder
Ramien Safi (SV Rödinghausen): We have nominated the 24-year-old Dutchman with Afghan roots here because he is simply seen by many experts in the league as an exceptional player. The general consensus: we will see this player in higher leagues in the future. 17 games, six goals. But the 24-year-old should not be judged solely on his goals. He makes his opponents dizzy on the wing and they can hardly keep up with Safi: fast, agile and dangerous in front of goal. We will definitely be hearing and writing more about Safi in 2024.
Patrik Twardzik (FC Gütersloh): The fact that FC Gütersloh are in ninth place and are also the best promoted team is also thanks to FCG’s Patrik Twardzik. He is the central man in the team of coach Julian Hesse. 17 games, nine goals, three assists, he feels he is involved in every dangerous action of the East Westphalia team. He was already one of the best players in the Northeast Regional League and he is now in the West division.
Moritz Stoppelkamp (Rot-Weiß Oberhausen): Duisburg didn’t want to offer the zebra icon a new contract. A clear case of: it’s his own fault. Duisburg are languishing at the bottom of the 3rd division and have only scored ten goals. There is no one to score. They should ask their former captain about that. Even at the age of 36, he is a top player one league above the 3rd division: 17 games, ten goals, eight assists. These Stoppelkamp statistics would certainly look good on the MSV now. He is keeping RWO in the promotion fight with his goals and assists. Without “Stoppel”, the clovers would probably have been out of the race long ago.
Anton Heinz (Alemannia Aachen): The 25-year-old has only recently proved how valuable his fine left foot is with his three free-kick goals in the 4-3 win over Wuppertal SV. For the Regionalliga, he is an incomparable marksman. He may lack other qualities, such as speed and robustness, to play in a higher league. But he is perfect for the Regionalliga – undoubtedly one of the best. 18 games, nine goals and five assists are not bad stats either.
Justin Diehl (1. FC Köln II): The 19-year-old is in a league of his own. When opponents see that Diehl is on the lineup sheet, they start to tremble. 18 games, 11 goals, 9 assists – Diehl is a machine. Whether in Cologne or elsewhere: we will see him in the new season either in the 1st or 2nd Bundesliga. That’s for sure.
Kevin Goden (1. FC Düren): We could see him in the 2. Bundesliga from January 1, 2024. Allegedly, several third-league and second-league clubs are interested in the 24-year-old striker from 1. FC Düren. That’s no wonder: an attacker who scores twelve goals in 15 matches is automatically in demand.
Charlison Benschop (Wuppertaler SV): The 34-year-old has played at a higher level and he proves why he has 120 appearances in the Eredivisie, 82 in the 2nd and 16 in the 1st Bundesliga. He is simply a goal scorer, and that is also the case in Wuppertal: 17 games, nine goals, seven assists. 16 goal involvements in 17 appearances – a top summer transfer for WSV in 2023, according to sporting director Gaetano Manno.
The coach of the Regionalliga West first half of the 2023/2024 season
Dietmar Hirsch (1. FC Bocholt): There can only be one: Dietmar Hirsch is the father of the success at 1. FC Bocholt. Manager Christopher Schorch also deserves a mention here, as he and Hirsch put together the squad, including 17 new additions. But what the 51-year-old football coach Hirsch squeezes out of this squad is truly worthy of praise. He is considered a good communicator and an absolute expert. He is currently more than living up to this reputation in Bocholt. With 2.33 points per game, the former Bundesliga player am Hünting is also experiencing his best coaching stint. Measured in points, this was previously at Teutonia Ottensen (1.88 points per game). Hirsch should top this average at the end of the season in his first Bocholt season.