Mucki reduction for more explosiveness - will Bär become the second half of the season again?
Created: 12/14/2022, 8:09 am
By: Uli Kellner
New confidence: 1860 goalscorer Marcel Bär.
© Uli Wagner
Behind the lions lies the first unit of the winter preparations, when Marcel Bär is casually told what the teammates expect from the recovered goalscorer.
Munich
– "If he does as many as last year," says Stefan Lex in the direction of his colleague who is stomping off the pitch, "then I think we'll all be satisfied." Bär's reaction: a wry smile.
His face said: Thanks for the print!
But it's his own fault for raising the bar so high with 21 goals and winning the top scorer cannon.
Marcel Bär: Less muscles, more goal instincts
The flippant Lex saying - fed by a new hope for advancement that bears the name Bär.
The captain had just reported about his lumbago, which will cost him the first days of training.
Bär, his congenial partner from last year, is a step ahead in terms of health.
In the sun of Dubai, he put the longest period of suffering of his career behind him (corona, metatarsal fracture including surgery, form crisis), enjoyed family time, kept his focus firmly on the future - and rediscovered basic trust in his body and ability between the pool, palm trees and heart rate monitor.
"I don't notice anything anymore," says Bär, looking at his injury, which is also mentally over.
"I worked hard on vacation.
Now I want to make the most of the preparation to attack again.”
Not only does Lex hope that Bär can build on past great deeds, he hopes so too - and has found a few adjustment screws that are worth turning.
Some of the hard-worked-up muscles had to come down again: "I noticed that I felt stiffer at the top and wasn't as explosive anymore." Bär also found optimization options a little higher up, where the much-cited goal-sniffer is.
He now watches videos of the bear scoring the goals before his injury.
"Then you're back in the situation," he says, "you feel the emotions, see how you moved and ran free." Looking back at his 21 goals from the previous year would help, says Bär : "Especially for a striker it is important to see that you have quality."
TSV 1860: Marcel Bär continues to believe in promotion
In the future, so it is hoped, Bär would make a headball chance like in Bayreuth again.
He knows that his first joker use came early, that it looked helpless at times, as he then pursued a publicly supported search for form in three games.
But, says Bär: “I would do everything the same way again.
You have to be realistic.
The demands on myself are huge - and these games were enormously important for me to get the old feeling back."
And what about the good feeling in the fight for promotion that has gradually been lost?
As far as that is concerned, Bär, 30, remains calm - and trusts in the positive experience he has had with the Braunschweiger Löwen in this league.
"That usually goes to the end," he says: "Of course it's a shame that we had a setback after a good start.
But that is completely normal.
Only Elversberg is an exception.
It will be important to keep going, to be a maximum of two or three points behind – then anything is still possible.”
Another Bär second half of the season with goals on the assembly line?
"You can repeat everything," says the striker confidently: "But it's more important that we win games.
If I only score two goals and we're promoted, that's okay too." (ulk)
