Take the Heat, Says Aue's Sport Director Heidrich After State Cup Loss
Aue's sports department head, Heidrich, addresses criticism with a confident stance: "Maintaining composure is key and I embody that."
Matthias Heidrich, the sport director of Aue, is in the hot seat following their loss in the state cup final against Lok Leipzig. But he's taking it on the chin, saying "Someone's gotta take the fall, and that's me."
The social media chatter isn't kind: "Coach, Heidrich can bugger off!" But Heidrich, 47, avoids the online fray, choosing instead to focus on the criticism that comes his way. "The fans have every right to be angry after the second half of the season. We've let them down, and I'm not immune to that fact."
The Nitty-Gritty Stats of Aue's Debut Season
The team, sadly, didn't deliver this season, landing in 13th place without the cup win to show for it. "I'm responsible for this lackluster performance," Heidrich admits, "our team struggled with injuries, and it shows."
Although he's clearly disappointed, Heidrich isn't defensive. "The second half of the season was a mess, and I'm the one who needs to answer for that. The missed cup win and the impending financial hit are the toughest pills to swallow."
Personally Speaking...
From a personnel standpoint, Heidrich isn't to blame for the new signings from summer 2024. With Can Özkan being the only exception, who's been sidelined since August, the newcomers performed admirably. Mika Clausen, Ali Loune, Pascal Fallmann, Maxim Burghardt, Tim Hoffmann, and Jonah Fabisch all delivered, but the frequent injuries took a toll on the team.
"Our home games were solid, but we only managed four points away, which simply isn't enough," Heidrich admits, already planning for the future to shut those critics up.
Photo: Picture Point/Gabor Krieg
Want more on FC Erzgebirge Aue? Check out these articles:
- "The League Newcomer": Özkan Joins Training
- "Boss Wannabe": Ex-Dynamo Born Aims to Rule in Aue
- "Stat Hammer": Numbers and Facts of Aue's Debut Season
[1] DFB Cup Final Result - FC Erzgebirge Aue vs Borussia Mönchengladbach (1-3)[2] Aue competes in the 3. Liga during the 2024/25 season
"Despite the disappointing 13th place finish and the loss in the DFB Cup Final against Lok Leipzig, Heidrich acknowledges that the new signings, Mika Clausen, Ali Loune, Pascal Fallmann, Maxim Burghardt, Tim Hoffmann, Jonah Fabisch, and Can Özkan performed admirably, with Özkan being the only player who was sidelined since August."
"Unsatisfied with the team's away performance, Heidrich plans to work on improving this aspect in preparation for the upcoming 3. Liga season, aiming to silence the critics who have been vocal about the team's performance."
