The Regional League Revival of TSG Balingen: An Overview
In a disappointing turn of events, TSG failed to appear for their friendly match against Al-Hilal on August 6, 6:30 PM, at the Bizerba-Arena, leaving their opponents to take advantage. Despite the absence, TSG hosted Aspach in the Regionalliga round on Saturday, aiming to bounce back.
In the absence of injured striker Simon Klostermann, Halim Eroglu took the starting spot for TSG. However, the match did not start off well for them, as Großaspach dominated the opening phase with no significant counter situations for TSG.
SG coach Pascal Reinhardt fielded his established players, with new signing Loris Maier making it into the starting lineup. The game began with a close call for Balingen, as a corner landed on the crossbar after a Reule uncertainty in the 2nd minute. Lucky for Balingen, Dennis Klose deflected a Tasdelen shot with his fingertips onto the post.
Despite the early scare, Balingen continued to choose their playing approach, but gradually lost their sovereignty on the ball. Volkan Celiktas scored the sixth goal for Balingen in the 76th minute, followed by Elias Rahn's third and fourth goals in quick succession. Rahn's goals extended the lead to 4:0, effectively ending the match for TSG.
Michael Kleinschrodt delivered the ball precisely to Fabian Eisele in the middle, who scored the fifth goal for Balingen. Despite bringing on Pedro Almeida Morais for Ivo Colic, it did not improve TSG's performance. TSG kept the tempo and intensity high, but failed to score the equalizing goal.
The sports-wise 1-6 defeat in the return leg was meaningless for the current match. TSG's struggles against Großaspach are not due to psychological intimidation, but rather tactical and form superiority on Großaspach's part. In their recent encounters, Großaspach has maintained a 100% win rate over their last five home games, while Balingen had a 0% win rate in those away matches.
In the first round, TSG had many absences and a bad phase, while in the final they were better in the first half but conceded a clear offside goal and lost 0-2. TSG lost three times against Balingen in the pre-season, once in the league and twice in the cup final. The city club, TSG, is not considered a 'bogeyman' by Balingen head coach.
Despite the recent struggles, TSG will look to turn things around in their next match, aiming to improve their away record and find their scoring touch against Großaspach.
Despite TSG's poor away record, they aim to make a comeback in their next match against Großaspach, particularly in European-leagues like Serie-A, where their form could be crucial. Halim Eroglu, standing in for injured Simon Klostermann, might have a chance to shine as TSG looks to bounce back from a series of losses against Balingen, including pre-season matches and league encounters.
