Sven Demandt is set for his first DFB Cup match as a coach. The 51-year-old will manage Regionalliga West side Rot-Weiss Essen for their Saturday afternoon clash with second-division outfit Arminia Bielefeld. The former striker and once second-division top scorer has managed the club since April, and has now been given the chance to attempt his first full season there. His aim is ambitious. Within the next three years, Demandt hopes to take the 1955 German champions up to the third tier. In an interview with DFB.de, Demandt discussed the upcoming DFB Cup tie, the chance of progressing and the final preparations.
DFB.de: Mr. Demandt, what’s the anticipation like for what will be the high point of your season so far?
Sven Demandt: At the start of the week, our 4-0 league loss against Viktoria Köln was hanging over us somewhat. The first half had been our best performance of the season, then of course we lost. We have recovered from that, and now are concentrating only on Arminia Bielefeld. You can see that everyone absolutely wants to win.
DFB.de: The dress rehearsal went quite badly awry. What happened?
Demandt: The result was not reflective of the general pattern of the game. There are games like that. In the first half we functioned well in many departments, and played as we had intended to, except in front of goal. That also did not change in the second half. Then we conceded. Despite that, I maintain that over a wide stretch, it was our best performance of the season. If we can stay calm and steady, then the results will reflect that.
DFB.de: What lessons have you taken from the 4-0 loss?
Demandt: That much is easy. Be better at defending and goalscoring (laughs). We had enough chances to score, that much is positive. From here on we have to be more effective. We were poor without the ball, and we must be cleverer in our play.
DFB.de: What kind of game do you expect against Arminia Bielefeld?
Demandt: Compared to the Viktoria match, it will be quite a different game. Bielefeld are in the 2. Bundesliga, and have had a less than optimal start to the year. They will be looking for their first win of the season. We have to deal with some big expectations. Although Bielefeld are two tiers above us, many are expecting more from us than from our opponents, but I don’t see it that way.
DFB.de: Have you watched Bielefeld as preparation?
Demandt: I watched the 0-0 draw in their opening game against Karlsruhe live in the stadium, and the 1-0 loss to TSV 1860 München on TV. Arminia are yet to score this season. However, Rüdiger Rehm has an excellent striker in Fabian Klos, and he is always a goalscoring threat. We must be very wary of him.
DFB.de: What chance do you think you have of qualifying?
Demandt: Normally I would say one league constitutes a two-goal difference. If it goes like that, it would obviously be in Arminia’s favour. But cup competitions do not always follow the rules, and they can be unpredictable. Our best hope is if we believe a special result is possible. We must catch ourselves on a good day and Bielefeld on a bad one.
DFB.de: What kind of role can the crowd play in that?
Demandt: The fans will always be behind us. That is definitely a major help.
DFB.de: Why is it that anything is possible for a fourth-tier side against a second-tier side?
Dermandt: Because the differences between the two teams and the players are not as vast as they once were. There is the example of Darmstadt 98 or Würzburger Kickers. Both clubs took virtually unchanged squads directly through from the third division right through to the Bundesliga, or from the Regionalliga to the 2. Bundesliga respectively.
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Sven Demandt is set for his first DFB Cup match as a coach. The 51-year-old will manage Regionalliga West side Rot-Weiss Essen for their Saturday afternoon clash with second-division outfit Arminia Bielefeld. The former striker and once second-division top scorer has managed the club since April, and has now been given the chance to attempt his first full season there. His aim is ambitious. Within the next three years, Demandt hopes to take the 1955 German champions up to the third tier. In an interview with DFB.de, Demandt discussed the upcoming DFB Cup tie, the chance of progressing and the final preparations.
DFB.de: Mr. Demandt, what’s the anticipation like for what will be the high point of your season so far?
Sven Demandt: At the start of the week, our 4-0 league loss against Viktoria Köln was hanging over us somewhat. The first half had been our best performance of the season, then of course we lost. We have recovered from that, and now are concentrating only on Arminia Bielefeld. You can see that everyone absolutely wants to win.
DFB.de: The dress rehearsal went quite badly awry. What happened?
Demandt: The result was not reflective of the general pattern of the game. There are games like that. In the first half we functioned well in many departments, and played as we had intended to, except in front of goal. That also did not change in the second half. Then we conceded. Despite that, I maintain that over a wide stretch, it was our best performance of the season. If we can stay calm and steady, then the results will reflect that.
DFB.de: What lessons have you taken from the 4-0 loss?
Demandt: That much is easy. Be better at defending and goalscoring (laughs). We had enough chances to score, that much is positive. From here on we have to be more effective. We were poor without the ball, and we must be cleverer in our play.
DFB.de: What kind of game do you expect against Arminia Bielefeld?
Demandt: Compared to the Viktoria match, it will be quite a different game. Bielefeld are in the 2. Bundesliga, and have had a less than optimal start to the year. They will be looking for their first win of the season. We have to deal with some big expectations. Although Bielefeld are two tiers above us, many are expecting more from us than from our opponents, but I don’t see it that way.
DFB.de: Have you watched Bielefeld as preparation?
Demandt: I watched the 0-0 draw in their opening game against Karlsruhe live in the stadium, and the 1-0 loss to TSV 1860 München on TV. Arminia are yet to score this season. However, Rüdiger Rehm has an excellent striker in Fabian Klos, and he is always a goalscoring threat. We must be very wary of him.
DFB.de: What chance do you think you have of qualifying?
Demandt: Normally I would say one league constitutes a two-goal difference. If it goes like that, it would obviously be in Arminia’s favour. But cup competitions do not always follow the rules, and they can be unpredictable. Our best hope is if we believe a special result is possible. We must catch ourselves on a good day and Bielefeld on a bad one.
DFB.de: What kind of role can the crowd play in that?
Demandt: The fans will always be behind us. That is definitely a major help.
DFB.de: Why is it that anything is possible for a fourth-tier side against a second-tier side?
Dermandt: Because the differences between the two teams and the players are not as vast as they once were. There is the example of Darmstadt 98 or Würzburger Kickers. Both clubs took virtually unchanged squads directly through from the third division right through to the Bundesliga, or from the Regionalliga to the 2. Bundesliga respectively.
