VFL cultivated a sense of purpose: Madman smashed the league

Sunday 28 November 2021

VfL develops sensation
Crazy breaks the league

By Tobias Nordmann

A new vision is ripening in the Bundesliga: it is better not to allow Milos Pantovic to be shot from Bochum. It doesn’t matter where the rookie midfielder is. For amazing Freiburg coach Christian Streiche, that knowledge comes too late.

The claim that Christian Strait was angry or even disappointed late on Saturday afternoon would have been beyond the truth. Because Christian Streiche was amazed. at most. The coach did not understand that his team SC Freiburg lost 1:2 (0:0) at VfL Bochum. It’s not that the 56-year-old lacks experience in dealing with defeats (even strange ones), but he still does not want to accept that his team, who finished third in the table, has lost for the third time in a row. . “It’s one of the most unfair outcomes I’ve seen as a coach.” Since Streich is known to be an honest man, one might assume there was something to this judgment.

In fact, the 113th bankruptcy in the 300th first division match could be dealt with quite easily. The sports club played a really good game. The sports club had many good and very good opportunities. But apart from a somewhat unconventional head and shoulder goal from central defender Philip Lenhart (51.) after a free kick by Vincenzo Griveaux, a second chance was not used. This, in turn, was often cursed by Manuel Reimann. This is the goalkeeper of VFL Bochum. Until his promotion this summer, the 33-year-old was repeatedly desperate about his big dream, the Bundesliga. But now that you’ve succeeded, the extroverted guard wants to catch up on everything — and stay for as long as possible. And that the newcomer is doing well with 16 points after 13 days of matches, and that’s especially due to Riemann. According to scores, he is one of the top five keepers of the season.

His most exciting moment was on Saturday afternoon after 62 minutes, when he spectacularly saved a shot from striker Lucas Hoehler with his right hand. In terms of sight and feel, a man outperformed the goalkeeper on his team for weeks. By Milos Pantović. 25-year-old Serb grows crazy sexy “Anne Castrober”. Two weeks ago, the attacking midfielder drowned out all Hoffenheim’s counting ambitions from over 60 metres. And now he shreds the memory of Streich with a soulful and creative lifter from a height of more than 40 meters. After an apparent misunderstanding (between SC goalkeeper Mark Flecken and Lynhart) and a slip (by Lienhart), the ball landed on substitute Pantović and his little magic foot in the gate in front of the rising eastern curve (82). The culmination of the VFL’s emotional, albeit happy, comeback which striker Sebastian Poulter previously started shortly after falling behind (54th place).

“I immediately felt it was going to”

The maniac dealt with the madman in a very realistic way: “As soon as the ball came off my feet, I immediately felt that it was entering.” After all, Pantović admitted: “I am very happy that I was able to score this goal again.” Then again soberly: “I always do my best and am happy when I can help the team.” Even after his goal against TSG, the Serb confidently admitted that he believed in his left foot. Obviously, the same now applies to the right. Because this time he was responsible for the fact that the Ruhrstadion fell first into a collective astonishment, and then into a collective trance.

The 25-year-old’s grumpy development with a newcomer to the squad player is an unpredictable date. For a long time it was not certain that the man who moved to the Ruhr area thanks to the legendary Hermann Gerland of Bayern Munich (Second Team) would rise with FC Bochumer. Because it wasn’t a steady eleven start – and neither has (yet) this season. In the second division he was one of the men behind the phenomenon of Robert Zolge last season. The Austrian was the main offensive player for Bochum. He scored 15 goals. Set 15 goals. Then he moved quite suddenly: to the United Arab Emirates. It wasn’t a particularly wise decision in his career. In terms of sports, he does not place any exclamation mark in Al Ittihad Kalba Sports Club.

Nobody is betting on him

So the sledge went. For only 350 thousand euros (that’s how low the exit clause is). Double shock for VfL. How should the club compensate for this? Hiring a new guy? Junior suite (me): Yes. regime change? Junior Suite (II): Yes. Create solutions from your inventory? There was more to be imagined. Almost everything. Not only that Pantovi can or will do this important role. In fact, he didn’t do that either. The Serbian is a wild card. High quality. When a newcomer needs it, he delivers. This was also the case in the second round of the DFB Cup. In the dramatic success against Augsburg, he put the VFL team ahead with two goals before the guests saved themselves from a penalty shootout. There Rayman became a hero (as you can read here).

Pantovic, about whom Gerland admitted after his 2018 move that he had already sent better players from Munich to Bochum, continued at VfL. Against all the criticism he was repeatedly met: he is not effective enough (he collected arguments for this thesis in the 87th minute, when he missed the final decision in a one-on-one with Let it be), not strong enough in a duel, not fast enough for the outside positions (this Especially important in coach Thomas Reese’s system, in contrast to half of the spaces where the 25-year-old feels more comfortable) and often very phlegmatic. For a ten-year-old, who he actually is, often lacks genius. To this day, the Serbs have not been able to sustainably refute all this criticism. But in fact, he is a player that the coach can fully rely on. Always working hard. Always professional. Even without this outstanding quality. This is what they thought. But now he’s breaking the league. And big anniversaries. With goals that are a sensation.