Defender almost always dismounts
Unlucky Kabak is in the middle of a disaster again
By Till Erdenberger
03/13/2023, 7:27 p.m
Ozan Kabak should concentrate on football, they say in Hoffenheim at the beginning of the season. The Turk has turbulent years behind him, constantly being swept away by the wild descent whirlpool. He has little to counter that. And now he’s right in the middle of it – not entirely through no fault of his own.
No, TSG Hoffenheim is not doing well these days. The club, which started the season at Champions League level, has been waiting for a win in the Bundesliga for 14 games since last October. In the bitter months, after the 10th matchday and the win against FC Schalke 04, they tumbled from 4th place through the table – and now, after the 24th matchday, they are at the bottom: 18th place. Last. And it’s Ozan Kabak’s fault.
Actually, the Turkish national player is one who braces himself against defeats. One on which the unprecedented crash can hardly be pinned down. Coach Pellegrino Matarazzo calls his central defender a “fighter”. He is one of the best headers in the league, with his pass rate of 89.18 percent he scratches the top 10. But at the weekend at SC Freiburg, when the relegation candidate with the Champions League aspirants until a few minutes before the end a vital point in The 22-year-old missed something: After a foul in midfield, referee Harm Osmers just handed out a yellow card to John-Anthony Brooks, Kabak, who had already been warned, picked up the ball and threw it a few meters away. A blackout that Osmers had to punish with a yellow-red card.
“A stupid yellow-red card”
Five minutes later, Ritsu Doan scored to make it 2-1 and Freiburg to win. From a classic center forward position because full-back Angelino came too late with his long leg. Or rather: Because the central defender was missing. “The sticking points were Freiburg’s efficiency and the yellow-red card that happened unnecessarily,” said TSG coach Matarazzo. The American has lost all five Bundesliga games since taking office in February – four of them by just one goal. A catastrophic record: “We know what we have in Ozan, he’s a real fighter and hits it with a lot of emotions. He probably wasn’t aware at the moment that he already had a yellow card, I don’t want that nice to talk about, he has to keep his head cool, but the boy is really sorry, right,” said Matarazzo.
The team-mates were tough on their defender: “We can’t end the game with ten men,” snapped captain Oliver Baumann, “I had the feeling it was our turn.” Angelo Stiller, who had previously given TSG Hoffenheim hope with his 1-1 draw, was annoyed by his colleague’s dropout: “A stupid yellow-red card,” scolded the attacker, “we were actually better in the game, that felt right good on.” But you can’t buy anything from the good feeling after the equalizer: Because the opponents all scored – Hertha BSC, Schalke 04 and VfB Stuttgart all played draws, VfL Bochum beat 1. FC Köln – TSG Hoffenheim completed a decent performance her crash: 18th place, at the very bottom. Because, they agree this time, Ozan Kabak, who can actually do very little for the descent of the top-class squad.
A disastrous record
The fans and those responsible could get scared and anxious when looking at the CV of the 20-time national player: In the last four years, since he switched from Galatasaray Istanbul to VfB Stuttgart as an 18-year-old in 2019, Kabak has moved to two with three clubs countries: First, the young Turk, who had quickly become a regular player and crowd favourite, was dramatically defeated in the relegation with the Swabians by the then second division club Union Berlin.
After moving to FC Schalke, he quickly established himself as a regular player – but Kabak’s second season in the royal blue was a disaster: the team had produced -34 goals and eight points when Kabak said goodbye to Liverpool after the 19th matchday. The arrangement, in which Kabak was quite convincing in the Premier League and the Champions League, ended after half a series. When the Turk returned to Gelsenkirchen, the club were relegated after an awkward season. FC Schalke passed their player on to Norwich City – where the defender in turn said goodbye with relegation.
So last summer, after eventful years, he signed on at TSG Hoffenheim, a club with ambitions but without the great excitement that comes with the sporting struggle for survival in the league. they thought. “With us, Ozan can focus on football in peace without having to deal with a lot of background noise,” said André Breitenreiter, who was TSG coach at the time. “That’s one of the reasons why he decided to move to TSG.”
Kabak himself praised the new employer: “I’m very happy about my move to TSG. Hoffenheim is one of the most exciting clubs in Germany,” he said hopefully in July. “I’m excited about the team, working with the new coaching team and I’m happy to be able to start here right now.” It turned out very differently than everyone had hoped: Breitenreiter was kicked out at the end of January, Kabak is still there. In the relegation battle, at the bottom of the downward spiral. On Saturday, TSH Hoffenheim welcomes Hertha BSC to the big relegation summit. Ozan Kabak will then be missing.