SVD coach Lieberknecht in a disco
Professionals should finally address dream woman Bundesliga
05/18/2023, 7:44 p.m
SV Darmstadt has stumbled just before the finish line in the last few weeks. Suddenly, promotion to the Bundesliga is in jeopardy. Coach Torsten Lieberknecht takes his pros to the disco and reminds them how he once managed to win over his wife. It’s that easy if you dare.
Torsten Lieberknecht nipped all doubts in the bud. Trembling, fear, nervousness? No, no, the coach of Darmstadt 98 didn’t want to hear anything about that, despite the two match balls being awarded. And although the promotion race suddenly comes to a head, the Lilien coach continues to believe in the big goal. According to the plan, his players just have to dare. “When you go to the disco,” Lieberknecht began his unusual motivational speech in the direction of the professionals, “you saw your dream woman, but you didn’t dare to speak to her.” At some point, according to the 49-year-old, you thought: “Hey, now I’ll go to the toilet five times, I’ll walk past her five times – so now I’ll grab the chance.”
That’s exactly what the lilies want on Friday (6.30 p.m./Sky and in the live ticker on ntv.de) also against 1. FC Magdeburg, despite the defeats against FC St. Pauli (0:3) and at Hannover 96 (1:2). “Our friend is the climb, so let’s grab it now – and get the climb,” emphasized Lieberknecht. The motto for its professionals? “Just think about the girlfriend you spoke to back then.”
HSV “lies in the pocket”
But it is also clear: Darmstadt must deliver. Everything had already been done on the two previous matchdays, but the long-time sovereign second division leader gave up the chance of returning to the Bundesliga – and gambled away his comfortable cushion. Should nerves fail again, 1. FC Heidenheim could overtake on Saturday and third-placed Hamburger SV could come within a point.
“I definitely wish Heidenheim and us the rise. We deserve it,” said Lieberknecht, who also started the mind games. It is of course clear to him that the people of Hamburg “have something against it. They have a lot to lose. They know that too, they lie to themselves.” Darmstadt, on the other hand, still has “only something to gain”. He was “afraid of nothing. Don’t worry so much, have positive thoughts,” said the lily coach, who had avoided the A word for a long time – until now: “We have it in our own hands and we want to rise .”
According to Lieberknecht, however, the lilies have to jump over their shadow – like he did with his “dream woman”. He has now been married to her for 22 years, “happily with three children – because I dared. If I hadn’t done it, I would have missed something”.