BOCHUM FACT FILE
Thursday, 18. May 2017, 17:49 Uhr
More than 4,000 St. Pauli fans will make the trip to the Ruhr on Sunday to support the lads. To give them and you the best possible preparation for the game, we've plumbed the depths of the internet to find some interesting facts on VfL Bochum.
The young ones
"Youth is a frame of mind," as the prominent Greek statesman Pericles once said. Or was it Kenny Rogers? Be that as it may, sometimes it's also a fact, as VfL Bochum have demonstrated this season. Head coach Gertjan Verbeek has the youngest squad in the second division at his disposal, with an average age of just 23.5 years old. Four of the ten youngest players to make an appearance this season wear the Bochum colours. Ewald Lienen's squad, with an average age of 25.2 years old, contains rather more experience. That figure puts them in mid-table in age terms, as in the league table itself.
Capitulation is not an option
That football is played with heart in the Ruhr is common knowledge in Germany. Part of that philosophy means never knowing when you're beaten, and Verbeek's side are no exception. Though Bochum have conceded first in 19 matches this season, they have managed to ward off defeat ten times. On three occasions they came from behind to win, and in the other seven games they at least secured a draw.
Which man to watch?
Some teams are noted for having a poacher in their ranks, someone who sticks the ball in the net with comforting regularity. Schalke had the legendary Klaus Fischer, Dortmund Lothar Emmerich. But it's different at VfL Bochum, where as many as 16 players have got themselves on the scoresheet, more than any other team in the league. That makes them particularly difficult to defend against, and of course Bochum do have players who know exactly where the goal is. Peniel Mlapa and Johannes Wurtz, for example, who have formed a formidable strike partnership and contributed eight goals each this season.
Photo: Witters
