Leogang day 11: Goalless draw against Fürth

The weather in Leogang has not been kind over the past few days, but on the eleventh day of their training camp, the Hoffenheim players got to enjoy a little bit of sun and fascinating mountain views. That made the early wake up call and the first training session of day so much easier, especially as Saturday mornings are always concerned with practicing set pieces.

The highlight of the day was however the test match against 2. Bundesliga side Greuther Fürth. Tobias Weis and Andreas Beck were unavailable for the clash, due to muscular problems. Approximately 500 fans witnessed a game dominated by both defensive lines. Both teams opted to focus on a solid defence once the ball was lost. Fürth did score the first goal after eleven minutes, but the linesman waved off as he saw an offside position. Vedad Ibisevic had the best chance for Hoffenheim, but his strike was blocked by Fürth keeper Matjaž Rozman. Only few chances were created on either side after that and both teams entered the half time with the score being 0-0.

Coach Ralf Rangnick made several substitutions at half time, which also had an affect on the game flow. Tom Starke, Marvin Compper and Andreas Ibertsberger were the only Hoffenheim players to stay on the pitch for the entire 90 minutes. Clear cut chances remained a rarity and thus the second half concluded with a goalless draw.

"The performance was alright overall, especially considering that Fürth have only started their training camp six days ago. We again managed to keep a clean sheet, which is certainly a positive fact," said coach Ralf Rangnick. "The training camp has so far been very positive. We have worked intensively and were blessed by not sustaining any severe injuries. It's important that my players will get a few days off when we go back home."

1899 Hoffenheim - SpVgg Greuther Fürth 0-0
1899 Hoffenheim: Starke - Raitala (46' Eichner), Simunic (46' Neupert), Compper, Ibertsberger - Carlos Eduardo (46' Jabiri), Luiz Gustavo (66' Kaiser), Salihovic (66' Ludwig) - Vukcevic (46' Thomalla), Ibisevic (58' Ba (69' Hemlein), Mlapa (46' Tagoe).
Attendance: 500