Desire, commitment, warrior mentality

By half-time, it looked like TSG Hoffenheim would run out commanding winners against Eintracht Frankfurt. TSG found themselves 3-0 up after 45 minutes thanks to a strong first half, but the second half started with a shock: Stanley Nsoki caught Frankfurt’s Paxten Aaronson in the face and was shown a red card. Mario Götze reduced the deficit to 3-1 a short while later (54), which made for a nervy finish against the cup finalists.

But Pellegrino Matarazzo’s team remained unperturbed and showed an impressive mentality. Every player threw themselves at every shot and did not shirk away from a single challenge. Together, the TSG players hardly gave away a big chance and managed to see out the victory. The importance of the game could be seen on the touchline in the final 10 minutes. Pellegrino Matarazzo was not alone in his coaching zone, with reserve keeper Luca Philipp and the substituted duo of Andrej Kramarić and Christoph Baumgartner showing total commitment and at times resembling additional assistant coaches.

Grischa Prömel was another factor in the 3-1 triumph. The midfielder made his starting comeback in the Bundesliga and showed once again how important he is to the team. The 28-year-old stayed on the pitch for longer than planned and was only brought off in stoppage time. “He communicates loudly and convincingly with his team-mates, acts cleverly, offers a certain physicality, protects the ball, is tactically smart and brings a great deal to this team. He was so important for us,” said coach Pellegrino Matarazzo of his charge after the game.

While the second half was characterised by commitment, the 30,150 spectators at the sold-out PreZero Arena got to see a different game in the first 45 minutes. In the run-up to the interval, TSG played themselves into a frenzy and led 3-0 thanks to goals from Christoph Baumgartner, Andrej Kramarić and Ihlas Bebou – the top three scorers this calendar year. Between them, the trio have already notched 15 goals since the winter break. From warrior mentality to beautiful attacking moves, it was all on show on Saturday. The TSG Hoffenheim team showed that they are ready for the season run-in.