06.08.2026
Hunters and gatherers
The Rothosen put on an impressive display at training on Thursday. Here’s a glimpse of an exercise in which team spirit was the top priority.
On Thursday, the Rothosen put on an impressive display during the morning training session. Divided into three groups, a total of 21 players carried out an exercise in a small corner of the training ground that left every observer in awe. The aim for the Blue, Red and Yellow teams was to score as many points as possible. But how exactly?
One team kicked off a round in their designated area and was immediately tackled – or rather, chased – by another. The ‘hunters’ tried to prevent the players in possession from passing the ball to one another. And suffice to say, the ‘hunters’, as they were called by the coaching team, took their role very seriously. But more on that in a moment. If a team managed to play six passes amongst themselves and then pass the ball on to the ‘free’ third group, they scored a point. The ‘hunters’ scored points by either winning the ball and shooting it into the opponents’ small goal or moving it into the other half of the pitch. The first team to reach nine points won.
As soon as the first ball was played, the ‘Hunters’ set off like a swarm, in the truest sense of the word. In their blue, red or yellow jerseys, they formed a cohesive mass that moved as a single unit from one end of the pitch to the other, putting pressure on the opposition. All this took place at such a pace that even a brief blink of an eye was punished. Nicolai Remberg set the tone for Team Blue, both vocally and physically, whilst in the other groups, young players Jason Bissi-Mouelle (Yellow) and Patson Daka (Red) took charge.
Assistant coach Loic Fave kept score in true referee style, noting down every point, and within a few minutes had jotted down a slight lead for Team Blue on his sheet. Meanwhile, head coach Merlin Polzin and assistant Richard Krohn were giving instructions from the sidelines. Shortly before the end, Krohn interrupted the drill and addressed the Red Shorts once more. He reminded the players of the feeling of winning, thereby squeezing every last bit of effort out of them. And off they went: ‘Go and get those points!’ In the final two minutes, all the players stepped it up a notch on top of the already high tempo. At one point, Team Red broke into Team Blue’s half with a nutmeg by Miro Muheim against Nicolas Capaldo, which remained a talking point even after the drill. Ultimately, it was the ‘Blues’ who held on to their lead until the final whistle and erupted into ecstasy when the match ended. A cluster of jubilant players – or, in other words: a swarm.
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