UNDERSTANDING THE GAME · ALFRED KAMINSKI
Provide structure. Maintain trust. Bring fresh impetus. Three documented moments from Offenbach’s autumn 2022 make coaching decisions tangible.
The three matches in contextTHREE MOMENTS. THREE DECISIONS.
Editorial diagramsDirection of play →Names in cyan
The highlighted players are named in the report. The other markers illustrate the shape schematically.
BEFORE KICK-OFF
The report on the first match in Kassel describes a 4-2-3-1. Vincent Moreno Giesel starts at right-back, with Maik Vetter and Julian Albrecht as the two holding midfielders.
Change the structure and the personnel.
Direction of play →11 players · unchanged
The markers deliberately stay in place. They represent the unchanged line-up, not a reconstruction of the second half.
AT HALF-TIME
It is 0–0 at the break. Kaminski sends the same eleven back out. The report describes a calm, matter-of-fact team talk; Christian Derflinger later highlights the coach’s trust.
Keep working with the players who started.
Direction of play →Substitutes in cyan
The names beside the pitch indicate documented substitutions. They do not represent playing positions or movements.
AS THE MATCH UNFOLDS
Offenbach also plays 4-2-3-1 against Walldorf. The report describes patience and stability. Substitutes Jakob Lemmer and Rafael Garcia are involved in the goals.
Fresh impetus can come from the bench.
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Explained schematically, not reconstructed from tracking data. Sources establish the formation and decisions; distances and marker positions serve the illustration.
FROM REPORT TO DIAGRAM
A formation alone does not explain a match. These reports bring together selection, the relationship with the team and the options available as the game develops. The diagrams organise those documented decisions.
They describe one specific, historical assignment. The approach that suits another team begins with its players and its situation.
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