As of: March 1, 2024, 6:33 p.m
By: Uli Kellner
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1860 newcomer Max Reinthaler is out with a sprained knee ligament.
© IMAGO/Mladen Lackovic
The Lions will have to make do without Julian Guttau and Max Reinthaler on Saturday against Ulm.
At least: Jesper Verlaat and Leroy Kwadwo are reported fit.
Munich – This is how fast things can happen in football.
Just a candidate for relegation, white and blue sadness, a team that didn't find the goal for months.
Suddenly - it's like a miracle: best third division team in 2024, concrete defense and a points average (2.25) that comes close to the top teams in the upper leagues.
Even Tim Rieder, who has been there for a long time, hasn't fully realized what's happening.
His Lions had 37 points a year ago after 27 games (including starting record), they currently have 38 points.
“Wow,” the six-man marveled, confronted with the comparison: “You can build on that.”
TSV 1860 Munich against SSV Ulm: The fourth best team of the second half of the season welcomes the third best
How strong depends largely on the home game this Saturday, in which the surprise newcomer from Ulm plays in the Grünwalder Stadium (2:03 p.m., BR and in the live ticker).
The fourth-best team of the second half of the season hosts the third-best – a top game.
If the Lions win, the gap to the relegation place will be reduced to seven points - no one would have thought that possible at the end of 2023.
However, previous Lions teams were said to have a certain weakness of nerves, a tendency to use their butts to destroy what had been painstakingly built with their hands.
Is the current team, nurtured by Argirios Giannikis, further along in this regard?
“The games before were also challenges,” says the coach, referring to the tests passed in the weeks of the acute relegation battle.
As far as pressure goes, “little has changed for us.”
To put it bluntly: back then you needed points to stay in, now you need points to stay in (the top teams).
The Lions' declared game is to extend their proud unbeaten streak for as long as possible.
Guttau and Reinthaler are out against Ulm - Kwadwo and Verlaat report fit after being infected
However, two important pillars who played a key role in a historic February (13 points, only one goal conceded) are out: top scorer Julian Guttau and defensive lineman Max Reinthaler, who was brought in at the end of January.
Guttau, who had the flu, was “still feverish,” Giannikis reported at the press conference on Friday.
At Reinthaler there is even a risk of a longer outage.
The diagnosis that only became known on Friday was a strained inner ligament in the knee.
“It can go on for days – but it can also take a little longer,” said the coach: “It also has to do with the player’s sense of pain.” In any case, “nothing” is broken.
He did not reveal how Giannikis plans to replace the two specialists.
Defensive all-rounder Michael Glück is likely to be the first contender for the Reinthaler position; for Guttau he brought “Güler or Zejnullahu” into play.
At least: Leroy Kwadwo and Jesper Verlaat are available again.
“Both looked good,” said the coach: “Of course no body is back to 100 percent immediately after an infection, but given the circumstances it looks quite good.”
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“With a warm heart and a cool head.”
Argirios Giannikis' route against Ulm.
Regardless of the two failures, Giannikis relies on the automatisms that the Lions have acquired during their eight-game series without defeat.
The self-confident Ulm also needs to be worked on collectively.
Without mourning the strong supporters, as he emphasizes: “With a warm heart and a cool head.
Of course we would have liked to have had a full house, but it's not a dream concert.
We don’t think about problems, we think about solutions.”
So far he has succeeded very well.
Giannikis downplays the fact that he is already being compared to Alonso (2.65) and Tuchel (2.3) because of his points average.
This is “more of an award for the players,” he passes on the praise: “They are the main players.” With the order to surpass themselves once again on Saturday.
(Uli Kellner)