Meeting of the surprise teams Raisting and Denklingen

Created: 04/12/2022Updated: 04/12/2022, 18:45

By: Christian Heinrich

Scene from the district league game between VfL Denklingen (in red) and SV Raisting (in black) in August 2021. © Roland Halmel

SV Raisting is expecting VfL Denklingen on Wednesday evening.

It's not just a derby, but also a duel between two teams that are among the surprises in the district league.

Raisting – If you ask Johannes Franz about his future path at SV Raisting these days, you will get a reserved answer.

"My future is still open," admits the 27-year-old coach.

Nothing is decided yet.

This comment is a little surprising at this point, because the course has long been set for the other district league teams in the district.

The people in charge of the SVR have every reason to extend the contract with their coach, which has been running since 2018, by another year.

Franz holds his ground with his team in fifth place in the regional league south - a position that only a few believed the team before the season.

The bosses have already had initial talks with their coach, but both parties have not yet reached an agreement.

What makes it so difficult to reach consensus is the conditions at Raisting.

Franz only has a limited squad available, which is of astonishing quality, but is not exactly peppered with eager kickers.

Last week, the coach was on the pitch with eight stalwarts during the final training session.

Those who are absent are now being provided with instructions for the next game via WhatsApp.

The fact that the constant improvisation works so well does not console Franz for the poor development of his team.

"At some point you want to get ahead," he makes it clear that he doesn't want to be satisfied with a place in the broad midfield.

Under the current conditions, promotion seems to be difficult.

Raisting's current (player) coach: Johannes Franz is in charge of the team for the fourth year.

The team currently ranks fifth.

© Halmel

Franz is not the only one who sees it that way.

His former coach and current colleague Markus Ansorge shares his criticism of the conditions in Raisting.

"I would have given up long ago," admits the VfL Denklingen coach.

"That would be an absolute no-go for me." While Franz can count the participants on two hands during training, Ansorge enjoys paradisiacal conditions.

20 footballers during practice sessions are more the rule than the exception for the second-placed team in the southern district league.

"I'm the coach of a mega-troupe," enthuses Ansorge. "Everything fits as it is." In January he extended the contract by another year, with a handshake, of course.

He would have wished his successor at SV Raisting the same conditions.

When Ansorge had to leave in 2018, Franz, who was still suffering from a cruciate ligament tear at the time, took over.

"We are united by a friendship," is how he defines the relationship, which will not be particularly affected by the duel between the two rivals on Wednesday, April 13 (6 p.m.) in Raisting.

Even as a player, he appreciated Franz beyond measure, now the respect has even grown.

"He was and always is very ambitious," he describes him as a "football madman in a positive sense".

Franz is one of those people who do their job with absolute dedication.

In addition to his passion, he is also characterized by a high level of expertise.

In the most recent home game of Raistinger against Haidhausen, Ansorge made sure again what kind of system Franz can practice.

It's a classic 4-3-3, only Franz has given it his own twist.

"The style of play is very offensive," analyzes Ansorge.

"But he interprets them extremely defensively." And so the Raistingers have the most stable defense in the league, which on average doesn't even concede a goal per game.

Raisting's former coach: Markus Ansorge was released in 2018 in Raisting, then the state league.

Now he works successfully in Denklingen.

© Roland Halmel

Normally one should be lucky to have such a strategically savvy employee as a trainer and anticipate his every need.

Only those responsible in Raistinger will have to offer him something to convince him to stay.

Franz knows "that our youth work looks extremely poor" and that it is difficult to persuade newcomers to get involved in Raisting.

"It's no secret that if things continue like this, it will be very difficult with the squad in the long run," the coach has no illusions about the future of his team.

For someone like him who is keen to take the next step in his development as a coach, that matters no less.

It is also up to him to check the requirements carefully before making a final decision.

"I have to think about it: Do I stay in Raisting or do I try something new," he says.

The answer is really not easy.