Hansa Rostock: Roßbach sees Schwartz

Reunited!

As Alois Schwartz (turned 56 on Tuesday) started work for second division club Hansa Rostock last Wednesday when he met an old acquaintance in defender Damian Roßbach (30).

He says: “We’ve known each other for eight years.” Schwartz brought Roßbach from Mainz II to Sandhausen in 2015 and to Karlsruhe in 2018. Roßbach: “I owe him a lot. Than after my injury in 2017 (cranial fracture, ed.) When I wasn’t sure whether it would continue, he brought me to Karlsruhe.” There he played 37 out of a possible 38 games in his first (third division) season.

Roßbach and Schwartz – a team for the third time!

Roßbach knows what is important at Schwartz: “He makes strict announcements, sets clear rules: Discipline, team spirit, will to win – that’s what we need right now. The last two home games didn’t have as much to do with unity as we did on the pitch. He’s the right man in the situation to bring us back together.”

The atmosphere was more relaxed in training, and there is more tension in the dressing room. A Schwartz measure: “Not to turn on your cell phone in the dressing room an hour before training. That’s a little torn. If everyone is staring at their cell phones – you can also talk. We have to be one, stand together.”

Has Schwartz changed since they first met? Roßbach: “He has become even stricter in the rules, he has developed as a footballer.”

And how does the coach rate the defender? Schwartz: “He intervenes, has mentality, passion and the will to win. He has also matured, developed upwards. A team can benefit from that – and so can I, as a coach, of course.”

Can the fans already feel something of the new spirit in Magdeburg on Sunday? Roßbach: “There is no need to argue that a sense of achievement in Magdeburg would be good. Especially with the new coach. That would strengthen and speed up the process a bit. It’s important that we don’t go under completely after falling behind.”