The sporting situation for Arminia is anything but rosy. But at least in terms of personnel, the situation seems to be easing for the criticised coach Frank Kramer.
There were tones that pleased no one. “Kramer out!” was the sound from parts of the stadium after Arminia had just lost 1:2 at home to FSV Mainz 05 without a chance. “You have to show attitude and work against it,” was the Bielefeld coach’s immediate reaction and he announced that he wanted to commit himself completely to the urgently needed turnaround.
Before the away game in Stuttgart, where Bielefeld’s last Bundesliga victory to date, combined with their class preservation, was achieved on 22 May, the 49-year-old wants to combine forces within his own ranks. “Everything is required. Football, but a person is not only made up of legs, but also of the head. That’s where we have to sort ourselves out, be clear about what we have to do, stay united.” Kramer, who took over Arminia in March this year, invokes team spirit: “We have to show within the team that we stand up for each other and go in the right direction together.” In concrete terms, the training work this week is about “finding the best constellation so that we are successful in Stuttgart”.
At least in terms of personnel, the development plays into the criticised coach’s hands. The slightly injured Swede Joakim Nilsson, who had only been on the bench twice recently, trained fully on Tuesday and is an alternative in the centre of defence to the recently overplayed Amos Pieper, who is plagued with mistakes. Cedric Brunner could return to the team at right back. The Swiss player has been suffering from Achilles tendon problems, which the doctors now seem to have under control, at least temporarily. In addition, Fabian Kunze, a third player who had to take a break recently, took part in the complete unit again.
Since the long-injured newcomer Sebastian Vasiliadis at least provided a small ray of hope on Saturday with his twelve-minute debut in the Bielefeld jersey, Kramer should be able to draw on a full complement of players on Saturday at VfB – provided no new injuries occur. And perhaps finally have a formation at his disposal with which the first win of the season can be clinched.
