Bathing fun, free beer and waiting for Holzhauser

Created: 06/01/2023, 21:30

By: Uli Kellner

Cooling down I: Fynn Lakenmacher pushes Marco Hiller under water.

© Stefan Matzke / sampics

The transfer of Leuven professional Raphael Holzhauser becomes a stalemate.

Things will get tight until the FCK test match on Sunday.

The star on Friday was therefore the hotel.

While the wait for Raphael Holzhauser, 29, continues, the lions use the first-class conditions in Turkey to fine-tune the league restart in Mannheim.

Slightly changed tactics (4-3-3), freshly boosted morale.

The sixth-placed side's competitive year will start in a week's time (Saturday, January 2 p.m., 2 p.m.) - with the "Ghost of Belek" reloaded.

Regardless of whether Leuven veteran Holzhauser becomes a Giesinger lion, the mood is completely different than in the leaden bankruptcy autumn of 2022.

Cooling down II: Jesper Verlaat and substitute goalkeeper Julius Schmidt spray their manes around.

© Stefan Matzke / sampics

The unanimous tenor of the Belek lions: The five-star facility at the Regnum Carya plays in a previously unknown league.

But there have also been training camps that were less sweaty.

All the more gratifying for Jesper Verlaat and Co. that the luxury resort not only offers soccer fields worthy of the Champions League, but also a pool area of ​​the finest quality.

It was correspondingly boisterous on Friday afternoon in the palm-fringed oasis: Fynn Lakenmacher surprised Marco Hiller from behind and pushed him under the water, Verlaat and reserve goalkeeper Julius Schmidt splashed their manes around - some die-hards like Niklas Lang from Starnberg even dared to go into the 19 degree cool Sea.

Collective bathing fun that made for a background noise like in one of Munich's outdoor pools in the holiday month of August.

Cooling down III: There was free beer for the accompanying lion fans - and talks with their favorites (here Yannick Deichmann).

© Stefan Matzke / sampics

So nobody has to worry about the work-life balance of professionals.

But the accompanying appendages also got their money's worth.

At the fan evening before the weekend, there was cooling off from the inside in the form of free beer, and there was also a reason to celebrate: for the first time in the history of TSV 1860, the 25,000 member mark was broken.

Congratulations and keep it up!

The only thing missing for collective happiness is a success story from the transfer front – and of course: promotion.