The 2022-23 season is almost over and there are teams that seem to fit Magdeburg more than others. Hamburg for instance. The arguably biggest beast in the division. And not only did Magdeburg beat them by a scrappy goal deep in injury time on a soggy pitch but did so by keeping their act together, concentrating on what they can do best: playing football in the style of Christian Titz. This means a lot of possession, many passes. The final score of 3-2 in each of the matches maybe belies the fact that Hamburg were dominant in either. And indeed better. However:
a win is a win
stated none other than Brian Glanville once. At that is what counts: three points on the plus side and the goal difference was reduced, though the latter only minimally.
At times during the season, this seemed futile an approach but the second half of the season proved Titz right. After 17 games of the first leg, Magdeburg had 17 points; they now have 38 and look certain to stay up.
That it took that long for the team to adapt to this division no one could have foreseen and maybe there was also some naivety on the part of the sporting direction and the coaching staff. However, trust and belief as well as some re-adjustments of the squad paid off: Magdeburg are certain to stay up and can commence to spend a thought or two for the squad for the coming season.
Among supporters the mood oscillated between hope and despair almost in a weekly basis. It wasn’t easy and maybe some harsh word was uttered (shouted) at the team when the performance was not as expected. Maybe herein lies some potential: to have no expectations other than the team doing their best.
For now though, there is relief and joy in the fact that the cushion is big enough to keep Magdeburg up.
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