GOOSEBUMPS FOR HORNSCHUH
Tuesday, 15. January 2019, 08:27 Uhr
The first warm-up match of the winter preparations ended in a 3-2 defeat against Belgian top-division club RSC Charleroi. After the final whistle, head coach Markus Kauczinski looked back on a game in which Alex Meier marked his debut with a goal and Marc Hornschuh celebrated his return to action after a 482-day injury layoff.
"It was a mixed bag really, we had good and bad phases in both halves," said Kauczinski. "At 2-0 we basically had the game under control. In the end I wasn't happy with the way we let the game slip out of our hands with two simple goals. It's a shame because there was no need for it. All in all, Charleroi put us under a bit more pressure and so probably deserved to win."
One bright spot for Kauczinski was the debut performance of Alex Meier: "He did OK and showed he's a threat. That said, we also saw that we have to do better overall and cut out the wayward balls that leave the strikers doing a lot of running."
Meier was happy with his own performance in the first 60 minutes, saying. "It's a good feeling to be out there with the lads, of course, and it's always positive when you get a goal. It was a good cross and a great flick-on and I was fortunate enough to be standing at the back post. I need to get a few more games under my belt but that's normal after such a lengthy absence. The more training sessions and game time I have, the better it will be. It's everyone's job to drop back and defend which I did today as long as I had the energy. I think it was OK."
Marc Hornschuh was another with genuine cause to be happy after making his first appearance in a brown-and-white shirt since the 4-0 home defeat against Ingolstadt on 16. September 2017. "It was an awesome feeling to be back in action even though it's a shame we lost," he said. "I had goosepimples for the first few minutes on the pitch. It wasn't perfect but after such a long time out that's not a problem, it's normal. I'm simply happy to be back playing again. Before the game I had to check whether my shin pads were still in the box."
Kauczinski was pleased to have Hornschuh back at his disposal, of course: "We're happy for Marc. It was a good start. He's shown in training that he's good on the ball and has good vision. We'll now look how he's coping with the exertions and hope his miserable time is over. It was a good first step."
Photo: Witters
