Three quarters of an hour after the 60-meter shot went over René Vollath into the goal, coach Argirios Giannikis felt compelled to warn that they shouldn’t “open a barrel” now. But of course the last straw was there, because the 1860 fans quickly demanded their favorite “Hiller, Hiller” back in the goal after the Lions lost 3-1 at VfB Stuttgart II. Now this goal could have just as easily been scored when Vollath was still wearing the Unterhachinger jersey a year earlier: standing far in front of the goal and playing along, that’s just his style. But in Unterhaching they wouldn’t have opened a barrel despite a thriving restaurant right next to the stadium . And that is one of the big differences between these two clubs, which meet again on Sunday.
At Sixty, plans are often ruined and sometimes even problems are caused, while in Unterhaching, when in doubt, people don’t talk to each other at all. Haching, for example, couldn’t or didn’t want to afford Vollath anymore, so the keeper moved to a club where – yes, yes! – the salary ends up in the account more reliably than in Haching (or even at Türkgücü, where Vollath also played). There were also rumors about Raphael Schifferl during the botched start to the season at 1860, asking whether the Austrian, who also came from Haching, was really such a reinforcement as expected. Incidentally, the central defender had seemed like a foreign body in his first games for Unterhaching; Vollath had to keep telling him where to stand. But no one had any doubts about the blonde, who was strong in the air and served a red card just in time for his return to Haching.
On Sunday evening (7:30 p.m., Sportpark) Vollath, Schifferl and attacker Patrick Hobsch return to Haching, and these three players perfectly demonstrate the expectations that exist in two clubs that are only a few kilometers, but still worlds apart. Last season, the trio played a key role in the Unterhaching team finishing nine points ahead of the sixties and winning both derbies. They will now write a new derby chapter between the two clubs. The association of many players is more lasting than the rivalry between the fans – the Blues don’t think it’s a real derby anyway.
It’s just the case, more so in direct duels than usual, that the pressure to succeed in Giesingen is significantly higher than that in the suburbs. “The three of them know how to win derbies,” says Haching’s coach Marc Unterberger about the departures. And this clearly gives Sixty the role of favorite – Vollath is “the best goalkeeper last season” in League Three, Schifferl is one of the best central defenders, Hobsch is one of the best strikers. He even thinks that Sixty still has the opportunity to play for promotion.
The SpVgg signs former Bundesliga professional Johannes Geis – he should be in the starting line-up straight away
The clocks may tick differently in Unterhaching, but they have remained realistic: fears of relegation are gradually emerging. “After the game against Verl I started thinking again,” says Haching’s president Manfred Schwabl, after his team lost 2-0 two weeks ago. Haching has “too few leaders” on the field, and if the few are injured, a replacement is urgently needed. So the SpVgg announced the signing of 31-year-old Johannes Geis on Friday. The former Bundesliga professional should be in the starting line-up on Sunday, even though the recently unemployed player has only taken part in two training sessions. But: “With this ball handling, with this overview” the question doesn’t even arise for Unterberger.
The coach was asked on Friday whether it was a derby or not. “Sixty is always running after the past a bit, they always wanted to identify themselves through Bayern Munich,” says Unterberger – and in doing so at least heats up the mood a little. For him it was clearly a derby. Unterberger, who is still suspended after a dispute with a referee (“I think the punishment is excessive”), regrets having to watch this game from the president’s office instead of from the sidelines. By the way, he is represented there by Sven Bender, who trained at 1860 Munich. President Schwabl predicts that the former national player will have a great coaching career. At the moment, no one can say whether this will lead to the lions again.
