Keller's Uneventful Day: Yellow-Red Card on His Return to Heidenheim

This is definitely not how Thomas Keller had imagined his return to Heidenheim. In the 3–5 (1–0) loss, Dynamo Dresden’s defensive leader was sorely missed by his team after receiving a yellow-red card (69th minute) during the frantic final stages. 

However, it would be too simplistic to attribute the four goals conceded after his ejection solely to the absence of the experienced center back. After all, Keller has yet to find the same drive this season as he did in the second half of last season. 

Keller had played for four years in the Ostalb region, helped Heidenheim earn promotion to the Bundesliga, secured the team’s survival in the league, competed in European competition with coach Frank Schmidt’s squad, and even scored a goal there. Then came the loan move to Dresden in January, which brought with it a massive leap in performance. What followed was a concerted effort by the Saxons to sign the 27-year-old permanently. When they succeeded for a transfer fee in the millions, everyone was happy—Keller himself, Dynamo, and the fans.

Keller hasn’t been quite as commanding this season

However, the center back hasn’t quite carried that mid-season high over into the new season. Keller doesn’t seem as commanding in his play—especially in organizing the defense and his teammates. Instead, he has had to resort to fouls more often to close gaps. He received a yellow card in each of the three league games for this, and in Heidenheim, he received two in a row—resulting in a red card. 

“I didn’t see him behind me, so I think I fell onto his foot or bumped into him a little,” Keller said after the fifth red card of his career, referring to the incident involving Marcel Costly (30). Perhaps it was also a bit of overzealousness. 

Keller probably wanted to prove himself to everyone at his former club. He got involved in offensive plays more than usual, took shots from the second line, and took free kicks. He gave it his all and was already suffering from cramps even before he received his yellow-red card. All in all, it was a rough day.

Without Keller, there was no more order in the defense

Especially because the team lost its composure with him off the field. In the closing stages, it felt like every shot was a goal, as coach Thomas Stamm put it. “Toward the end, we simply have to defend better, even with one man down. We definitely need to work on that, but we also have to keep our eyes on the future,” said Robert Wagner, who had scored Dresden’s 2-1 goal. 

What had been a very strong performance by Dynamo up to that point was then overwhelmed by Heidenheim’s flurry of attacks. Ahead of Saturday’s match against VfL Bochum (8:30 p.m./Sky), however, the positives from the Heidenheim game should be the main source of confidence.