After the tie, soccer takes a back seat

The somber expressions on the faces of all the key players after the final whistle were understandable. And they were less a result of the ultimately fair 2-2 draw between Eintracht Braunschweig and Dynamo Dresden. A result that, for both teams, did not feel like a breath of fresh air after the negative experiences of the past few weeks. The death of a Braunschweig fan—which the teams only learned about immediately after the final whistle—contributed significantly to the somber mood.

“My condolences to the entire Eintracht family and to the bereaved. Soccer took a back seat today; the stadium showed great sensitivity to the situation,” said Dynamo coach Thomas Stamm in a brief press conference devoted entirely to this sad topic. 

His players, too, struggled to find the right words. “We found out exactly what happened in the locker room. All we can do is pause for a moment and wish the family and those affected much strength. The whole game takes a back seat—that’s perfectly clear,” said captain Niklas Hauptmann on ARD. And defensive leader Thomas Keller emphasized: “Today is yet another day when you realize that there are more important things in life than soccer. You realize that health is the most important thing in life.”

There will also be talk about the game

But it’s only natural that people still talked about soccer. For Coach Stamm, it was clear that his team let the victory slip away in Braunschweig. “In the end, you have to take the point. You don’t have any other choice. A point like that can sometimes be very important for making a comeback,” he said on Sky.

What will likely concern him the most is the fact that Dynamo once again conceded two goals. They’ve now conceded twelve goals in five games; the only time they kept a clean sheet was in the 1-0 win over Darmstadt 98. This is a surprising turn of events, given that the defense has been playing together since the start of the year and, with a few exceptions, has consistently fielded the same lineup.

Too many mistakes, too many goals conceded

For the most part, the goals conceded are preceded by individual errors—not just by the defenders, but by them as well. In the 1-3 loss in Nuremberg, as well as on Braunschweig’s 1-1 equalizer, Jonas Sterner was outmaneuvered by the opposing attackers. On all five goals scored by 1. FC Heidenheim, Dresden’s entire defensive unit looked poor. Goalkeeper Tim Schreiber is the least to blame for the fact that the ball ends up in the back of the net so often.

There’s a lack of composure when defending, and wrong decisions are made time and again. And this happens even when they have possession in the attacking third or midfield. As a result, the team puts the defensive unit in a bind. Correcting this will take more than just one training session. Coach Stamm is therefore likely looking forward to the long international break following Saturday’s tricky match against Hertha BSC (8:30 p.m./Sky).