There was an adjustment period Sebastian Freis not allowed. Since taking office as head of sports… Karlsruhe SC At the end of August, Freis is under pressure. The team’s situation is precarious. The KSC occupies relegation place in league two. The squad is currently not optimally staffed in terms of either quantity or quality.
The problems of the KSC
But: Freis bears no responsibility for this. For example, there is the fact: average age. This was not sufficiently taken into account in previous years. In a league game in the current season, the KSC starting eleven was on average over 31 years old. There are legacy issues that the newcomer has to contend with.
Christoph Kobald | Image: Hammer Photography
He knows this, he is working to solve this problem. Knowing full well that this is a task that can only be accomplished in the medium term. Current: Squad alternatives for Coach Christian Eichner? Few…
In defense, competition could increase after the international break thanks to Christoph Kobald’s return after a long injury break. And otherwise? It’s actually clear that you have to add to the squad in the winter. Freis thinks about this intensively without publicly committing to a position or even a candidate.
Candidates from Freiburg on the KSC list
There seems to be no question for Freis that it is time to step up his game. If the “Professionals Division Manager” were to be active in the transfer market for the second division club in the winter, it would certainly not be in the attacking midfield. Logical, because the KSC has top people under contract there with the young Paul Nebel and veteran Lars Stindl.
KSC vs SC Freiburg Sebastian Freis welcomes Christian Streich | Image: Mia
But: names of possible new arrivals are floating around the wildlife park. It’s no secret that the KSC scouts regularly monitor Freiburg’s third division team. Maximilian Breunig, a center forward, plays there. He is 23 years old, 1.95 meters tall and a former U19 national player. Breunig has a contract until June 30, 2024, so he cannot be loaned out.
The KSC would have to pay a transfer fee in the winter. Fabian Rüdlin – also SC Freiburg II – has been in the sights of the KSC for a long time. Rüdlin is 26 years old and is a defensive midfielder who was also under contract in Switzerland, with FC Thun. Rüdlin has something that is a rarity among players in the current KSC squad: he is versatile and can play in both defensive midfield and central defense.
Freis: “There was a lack of effectiveness in front of the goal”
KSC scouts are also almost regular guests at Racing Strasbourg. Targeted there: Lebo Mothiba, 27, from Johannesburg in South Africa. A top attacker whose contract expires in mid-2024. Mothiba scored three times in ten appearances for the Alsatians. Would he be allowed to go in winter? Or only when his contract with Racing ends next summer? Such players would increase the quality of the KSC squad.
Image: Thomas Riedel
Freis answers the question about the quality of the squad in a Solomonic way: “That will be part of the analysis we are carrying out. Also with a view to the winter,” he says. It is clear to Freis that the KSC squad lacks effectiveness on the offensive: “There was a lack of effectiveness in front of the goal, the ultimate consequence. SC Paderborn was superior there,” says the former goalscorer and adds: “We don’t score enough goals. “
But: The problems would start at the back and go all the way to the front. “It’s difficult to separate it. We have to be honest, involve the players. Then we have to see what we can improve quickly. Some things happen quickly – we hold the players accountable. We want and have to find answers together with the coaching team find,” he says and asks questions that will probably also be discussed during the analysis: “Is greed missing? Or is it something else? We have to find out what the starting points are.”
“Guys get up quickly too”
After the 3-0 defeat against Paderborn, he admitted, “that the disappointment with the defeat and also with the amount is very, very great. We gave the game away – once again – because of the mistakes we made. Think of the 0 :1,” he said – without naming names.
“I will stay calm, but we will question everything critically. But: We have to get the boys back together quickly for the game at Hertha BSC Berlin,” Freis told ka-news.de.
The post first appeared on www.ka-news.de
