New coach, new system? Holstein Kiel have a new face on the sidelines in Marcel Rapp. In order to stabilise the Störche defensively, the 42-year-old is probably aiming for a changed basic formation.
What almost led Kiel into the Bundesliga last season is the big shortcoming this season: defensive stability. While the Störche had the best defence in the pre-season with only 35 goals conceded, they have conceded 19 goals in nine games so far – only Sandhausen (20) and Ingolstadt (23) are worse in this ranking.
After the resignation of Ole Werner and the interim takeover of the coaching post by Dirk Bremser, Marcel Rapp is now a new face on the sidelines. What Rapp now wants to convey to the unsettled Störchen could be seen recently in the test against Silkeborg (0:0). KSV started against the Danish first division team with a three-man defence formed by captain Hauke Wahl, Stefan Thesker and Patrick Erras.
After 90 minutes, the back line stood at zero, although at the break there was a complete change and Rapp switched back to a four-man defence. “That is definitely an option for everyday life in the second division,” said captain Wahl, expressing his approval of the three-man defence.
Ease of pressure on the attack?
Rapp was also satisfied with the performance against Silkeborg, although the 42-year-old drew “some material for further training sessions” from the test match. “It was clear that not everything was working yet,” said Fin Bartels, who could be relieved as an offensive player by the three-man backline in order to provide more danger up front. Kiel’s top scorer from the previous season (eleven goals, six assists) has not yet been successful either – the 34-year-old has only scored once so far.
With Ingolstadt, Kiel now face an opponent who is not exactly brimming with self-confidence. The Schanzers, who have also signed a new coach in André Schubert, have lost four times in a row in the league. However, the 7:0 victory in the test against Nuremberg should have given the bottom team a bit of a boost.