Those involved could not explain Fortuna’s poor performance for long stretches at the Ostsee. Only one player was up to scratch in the 1:2 loss in Rostock.
“The performance was appalling. I simply can’t explain what we did there,” said Andre Hoffmann with a clarity that Düsseldorf had only displayed in one scene in the previous 90 minutes – at 1-1 in the interim. The fact that Khaled Narey’s goal after 57 minutes meant the equaliser and not the consolation goal for long-defeated visitors did not quite correspond to the course of the game It was all thanks to goalkeeper Florian Kastenmeier, who had prevented further goals against in numerous scenes. “When you play Hansa, you know exactly what to expect,” Hoffmann continued. “If you don’t take the fight here, you go down.”
As we all know, it didn’t come to that thanks to the 24-year-old in goal. Apart from a slightly better phase before and after the break, however, Düsseldorf’s performance was inadequate. The only positive aspect of the attacking play was the chance management – the goal was the only good opportunity in the entire game. “I can’t explain these fluctuations,” criticised coach Christian Preußer. “We had no intensity in the game at all. There was no trace of game control. After the 1:1 I already had the feeling that we got the emotions out of the stadium, and then it continues like this with the blunders. “
Revenge against Hannover 96
After the Cup exit against Hannover 96 last week, Fortuna suffered their second setback within a few days. Until then, however, Preußer has a number of areas to work on in order to avoid being left empty-handed and slipping further into the cellar: whether in defensive stability, tackling or consistency and inventiveness in the offensive game – a clear improvement in performance is needed in every respect.
