State league or district league?

VfL Denklingen sits between the chairs

Created: 04/15/2022Updated: 04/15/2022, 16:46

By: Andreas Mayr, Christian Heinrich

Scene from the district league game between SV Raisting (in red) and VfL Denklingen, which SVR won 2-0.

Left David Hendel, right Ludwig Kirchbichler.

©Andreas Mayr

Not an easy task for VfL Denklingen: The surprise club of the season has to plan for the next season, but doesn't know in which league it will play.

Denklingen – The recent defeat in Raisting (we reported) has made the situation for Markus Ansorge a bit more complicated.

The VfL Denklingen coach can't just think about how to keep his team on course for promotion in the remaining seven games.

He also has to plan for the time after that.

More than ever, it is in the stars whether the club for physical exercise will play in the state league next season or continue to belong to the district league.

"It's all difficult," admits the coach that he is currently sitting between the chairs.

"You don't know in which direction it's going."

Will Denklingen succeed in the second ascent in a row?

Ansorge would not only have wished for a little more clarity about where the journey was going.

Others with whom he is currently in talks would also find it a relief if it became clear at the end of April whether VfL would be promoted for the second time in a row or whether they would first take root in the district league.

Because spring is the time when the contracts for the next round are forged.

"You put out feelers there," admits the coach that it makes no sense to wait until all sporting decisions have been made.

Experience has shown that the transfer market will have long been empty by then.

The current squad will probably continue completely

The first people he contacted were of course his own players.

They were so convinced of their development and that of the entire team that they all signaled that they would continue for the coming season.

Which is not self-evident.

A striker like Simon Ried, who has scored 24 goals so far this season, also arouses desire elsewhere.

The fact that he is staying shows how committed the entire team is to the "VfL" project.

"We can play there," the coach is convinced that the potential of his squad would be enough for a year in the state league.

But because he knows which wind is blowing in the top Bavarian football leagues, he would like to see one or the other reinforcement.

That it should be a kicker,

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There is also another aspect that is of crucial importance for the social fabric of VfL.

The club is committed to investing in infrastructure and not in players' legs, unlike some of its competitors.

A trait that makes more sense than ever these days.

Because inflation and the war in Ukraine will ensure that the maintenance of the sports facilities will become more expensive and the savings of the clubs will have to be used sensibly.

Riches cannot be earned in Denklingen.

"We can only attract players who want to develop further in Denklingen," Ansorge clarifies that he will not shake the current course even if he is promoted to the state league.

Players who only come to VfL because of the mere lucre could anyway contribute to endangering the inner peace within the squad, which sees itself as a tight-knit bunch.

"The team must not lose its identity," the coach clarifies that he not only needs good kickers, but above all real characters in order to realize his philosophy.

And that makes the situation even more complicated with all unresolved sporting questions.

VfL Denklingen on Saturday at the powerful SV Neuperlach

The winter break changed VfL Denklingen.

In the preliminary round of the district league "everything was a matter of the heart", says coach Markus Ansorge.

His team was guided by their inner drive and celebrated many a football festival.

But sometime between November and March she lost her soul.

"Now it's going to be a mental thing," fears the coach.

In order to reverse this development as quickly as possible, he chooses new timbres in the championship fight: For the time being, Denklingen is no longer pondering the big goal.

“We need to ground ourselves.

And we have to say goodbye to dreaming of promotion,” Ansorge clarifies.

VfL is now switching to tournament mode – one task after the other.

The next one is this Holy Saturday (3.30 p.m.) at SV Neuperlach.

"The next chunk" says the coach.

But maybe one

The district league has adapted to this celebration football of VfL.

"Everyone has seen what we can do." In their helplessness, the opponents resort to the simplest of methods.

It is defended with everything that can be found.

Wolfratshausen and Raisting barricaded their goal with ten men.

"It's not nice football, I wouldn't want to play it," says Ansorge.

But no rule book has yet banned this destructive version of football.

Denklingen will have to deal with it.

Neuperlach, on the other hand, should suit VfL significantly more.

Munich considers Ansorge to be “one of the strongest teams” that lets the ball run, not destroyed.

It was already evident in the first leg when Denklingen won 1-0 with a bang.

When it comes to opponents, he singles out defenders Ender Dag and Enes Kiran, whom he knows from the state league days.

Maybe a playfully oriented opponent will help you get back to the old lightness.

21 points are still up for grabs – VfL are two points behind Oberweikertshofen.

"We'll get the success back, I'm sure of it," emphasizes Ansorge.

He just doesn't want to use the word "climb" anymore for the time being.