Felix Götze returned to the starting eleven at 1860 Munich, but was unable to prevent the 2-0 defeat. He is annoyed about “stupid mistakes” and is looking forward to the top match weeks.
Alongside the negative news that goalkeeper Jakob Golz would miss out against 1860 Munich, there was also positive news ahead of Tuesday evening’s catch-up game: Felix Götze, the stabilizer of Essen’s back line, was fit again.
However, the central defender was also unable to intervene in the two goals that RWE conceded, which were largely of their own making. “It was just two stupid mistakes again,” said the substitute for captain Vinko Sapina angrily after the 2-0 defeat on “MagentaSport”. “We concede the goals ourselves and then going two goals behind away from home isn’t that easy.”
Although they “didn’t actually concede much more”, “individual mistakes like that are just very, very stupid”, complained the 25-year-old, who summed up: “It was just a bad day.”
However, it is now important to shake it off as quickly as possible, as Götze and his team have a tough program ahead of them. RWE already have to face leaders Jahn Regensburg on Saturday. This will be followed by a home match against third-placed Ulm (Saturday, February 17, 2 p.m.) and a trip to second-placed Dynamo Dresden (Saturday, February 24, 2 p.m.)
I’m looking forward to playing against the top teams. It’s going to be a real test of strength.
Felix Götze
A look at the calendar certainly makes Götze very excited. “It’s fun to play against the top teams. It will be a real test of strength. We can really show what we’re made of up there.” The defensive boss is convinced: “If we stop making mistakes, then a lot is possible.”
However, the circumstances make it anything but easy for the team in fifth place in the table, at least for the match in Regensburg. They will first travel home from Munich by coach, before heading south to Regensburg a few days later. “It’s definitely easier, but that’s part of soccer,” explained Götze. “We’ll try to do a lot to recover. There won’t be much time for training, but we have a good team. We’ll make sure we’re fit again on Saturday and then: full throttle!”