It was clear that after four games without defeat, a setback would eventually come for the cloverleaf. The 1:4 in Wolfsburg was more obvious than the course of the game indicated. Against Hertha BSC on Saturday, they have the chance to make amends – probably with a new goalkeeper.
For some time now, there have only been residual doubts about Fürth’s relegation. One of the main goals for the second half of the season was therefore to do better than in the lousy first half of the season with five points.
This was achieved in the first three games, sometimes impressively, but not in Wolfsburg: “I’m very disappointed about the result,” said coach Stefan Leitl, who identified the cause as: “We lacked the necessary energy in the game against the ball, which had distinguished us in the last games.” Specifically: in the weeks before, his men had thrown themselves into every shot, but this time they turned away twice, which led to the deflected goals at 1:3 and 1:4. Leitl meant this with energy and attitude.
However, Sascha Burchert also contributed a lot to the defeat with his unnecessary leaving of the goal before the 1:2. Before the game, Leitl had decided – understandably after Burchert’s recent performances – in favour of the promoted goalkeeper and against newcomer Andreas Linde. This was also due to the loss of right-back Marco Meyerhöfer (COVID-19), a regular defensive player. “We were very stable and well-rehearsed, I didn’t want to make any big changes to the team,” Leitl argued. Now, however, there is a lot to be said for the change and Linde’s debut against Hertha BSC.
After the recent impressions, SpVgg have a realistic chance to make amends against the capital club. It will be exciting to see how the team deals with the setback. Is it capable of an immediate reaction? The 1:2 in Berlin in the first half of the season was typical of Fürth’s performance: they played well, took the lead, but then gave the game away far too quickly with a double strike and were no longer able to react. On Saturday, there is the opportunity to do better and thus document progress.
