Talented defensive all-rounder: Maximilian Mayer (19) is one of the hopefuls at TSV Eching

Created: 01/21/2022, 07:00

Strong in tackles and technically adept: Central defender Maximilian Mayer played in the limelight after moving from FC Ismaning to the Zebras.

© Amelie Beer

The footballers of TSV Eching have had a bad first half of the season.

But there were also winners: Maximilian Mayer convinced - and in many ways.

Eching

– So far it has been a season to forget for TSV Eching. The zebras spend the winter at the bottom of the table in the district league north, they have only won three games. The consequences of the massive upheaval in the summer are unmistakable. Maximilian Mayer is one of the few bright spots. The 19-year-old defensive all-rounder impressed in his first few months in the men's division with spotless duels and a clever, precise build-up of play.

Ironically, the corona pandemic was one of the reasons for Mayer's move to Eching in the summer - and for the fact that his personal ascent was slowed down.

"Due to the Corona break last season, I figured I would have fewer chances of making the leap into the first team in Ismaning," says the 19-year-old.

He expected that the FCI trainers would rely on experienced players after the restart.

That's the only reason he thought about a change.

Football training in Heimstetten and Ismaning

TSV Eching knocked. Michael Schütz, who was the coach at the time but is no longer in office, showed interest. Mayer saw the change as an opportunity to adapt to the men's pace and duel at a good level. "Eching was an opportunity," says Mayer. For the talent, "football is the absolute number one".

Maximilian Mayer started playing football at the age of five.

In the juniors he played for SV Heimstetten and in the older age groups for FC Ismaning.

Not the worst addresses in the region.

"You can tell he has a very good education," says Schütz, the former coach of the Zebras.

He introduced Mayer to the level of the district league and quickly realized: "Maxi is very talented and brings everything with him.

He's technically adept and, although he's young, he's already very good at one-on-ones," said Schütz.

In summary: "He has incredibly good abilities."

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Mayer himself describes the "calm build-up of play, quick lateral shifts and diagonal passes" as his strengths. "I'm working on my technique playing football in the soccer hall." And although at 1.82 meters he is significantly shorter than his central defender colleague Luka Topic, he is in no way inferior when it comes to defensive headers. It's a mark of quality when footballers make things look easy on the pitch.

At the beginning of the season, he didn't always feel as secure as he seemed on the pitch.

"The transition from the U19s to the men's division is big.

It's all faster and more physical.

It was difficult at the beginning,” says Mayer.

But he was supported.

"It's good that we have experienced players.

Christian Niederstrasser talked to me a lot, and Luka Topic also helped me." And further: "I'm relatively satisfied with the games."

Mayer's role model: Sergio Ramos

The central defender was in the starting XI on the first matchday. He played six games over the full 90 minutes, once he was substituted once and twice. The fact that it was not enough for more missions was not due to a lack of quality. On the contrary, Mayer was missed when first the corona virus and later tonsillitis slowed him down. In the first game after the Corona break, he had to be replaced after 30 minutes, totally exhausted. It didn't work anymore.

Otherwise Mayer is a player who doesn't want to show weakness.

"If I'm ever in pain, I try to suppress it," says Eching's defensive talent.

A skill that one of his role models has perfected: "When I watch videos, it's by Sergio Ramos," said the 19-year-old about the Spanish defender.

Could Mayer also suppress the threatening descent pain?

"We struggled at first, but we improved in the weeks leading up to the winter break." If he stays fit and continues to develop, the Zebras' chances of staying up in the league will increase.