Debutant Ball – The Youngsters of the Year

For the sporting director, the tying down of Hack and Posch to contracts was a “clear sign that we are serious about our promise to give outstanding talents experience at the highest level. The way the boys from the academy settle into the first team squad is extraordinary and we will continue to take on the responsibility of developing those young players. Paying lip service with quotes from a press conference? Not at all. A look back at the squad from the season so far shows just how much of a role the debutants have played. As the year draws to a close, achtzehn99.de takes a look back at the youngsters who have made their debuts for TSG in 2017 – most of whom came from our own academy.

Dennis Geiger

Cup debut in August against Erfurt, Bundesliga debut on Matchday 1 against Werder Bremen, Champions League debut in the playoffs against Liverpool at Anfield, first Europa League appearance in the second game of the group stages at Ludogorets Razgrad – Dennis Geiger didn’t have any time to stop and think about his debut at the start of the 2017/18 season. The midfielder had his first Bundesliga goal to celebrate too on Matchday 6. Geiger had been in the TSG first-team squad for a year, training day in, day out alongside Sebastian Rudy, Eugen Polanski and more and learning from them whilst also playing in the U23s. At the time, Alexander Rosen said, “Dennis has a lot of technical quality and is an amazing talent who we want to continue to support and develop just as we have done successfully in the recent past with numerous players.” TSG did exactly that and so Rosen was delighted when Geiger made his league debut, and exclaimed, He played extraordinarily well today. He has worked for this chance for a year now, outside of the spotlight in the U23s and in training. He is a great player and has developed a lot physically. With youngsters, the final test is can he do it on the big stage? He said yes to that question today and silenced all of his doubters at the same time.”

Stefan Posch

“I didn’t have much time to be nervous before the game. I only learnt shortly before kick-off that I was going to play,” Stefan Posch says when he looks back on his professional debut. He started at the end of September in the Europa League at Ludogorets Razgrad and put in a convincing performance. The defender has now played 13 games for TSG. He is satisfied with his performances but he knows that there is still room for improvement. “I am happy that I have been given so much game-time. That in itself shows me that I have been doing alright at least. If the boss wasn’t happy then I wouldn’t be playing as much for sure,” the 20-year-old said at the beginning of December in an interview with achtzehn99.de. Before the RB Leipzig game, he was certain that the team were going to bounce back. He was right, TSG won 4-0 and Posch helped his side to keep a clean sheet against Timo Werner, Emil Forsberg and co. He won the second-most tackles in the game, had the second-most touches and completed the most passes out of any TSG player. A calm and collected performance – typical for Posch, who doesn’t seem to know how to be nervous.

Kevin Akpoguma

It was the most emotional debut of 2017. The most unexpected. The most extraordinary. When Kevin Akpoguma started for TSG in the Bundesliga game against VfL Wolfsburg on 22nd October, it was both a debut and a comeback for the youngster. An early comeback. When the 22-year-old defender broke the bone at the top of his spine after an aerial duel whilst on loan at Fortuna Düsseldorf in April, the doctors said that he would be lucky to be back in training in October. By then he was featuring in the Bundesliga. That’s because everything went well in the rehabilitation process, because he believed in himself and that he would come back and because he had the right people by his side. Since then, he has played nine competitive matches for TSG and left a lasting impression. As both a player and a man. “He is a great guy, unbelievably friendly, polite and helpful. He always asks how everyone is doing and is a proper people’s person. I am really happy that he has been able to continue living his dream of playing professional football after his serious injury,” said Julian Nagelsmann in autumn about a player who had a 2017 which few people predicted. But he now has a long-term future at TSG, with the defender signing a contract extension to keep him at Kraichgau until 2021.

Gregor Kobel

The goalkeeper who has featured for the Swiss youth teams made his TSG debut on 12th August in the DFB-Pokal tie against Rot-Weiss Erfurt. The 20-year-old was also given a starting berth in the second round of the cup against Werder Bremen. TSG goalkeeping trainer Michael Rechner is convinced by Kobel’s abilities and talent, “He is still young but has developed really well – I am sure that he has a great career ahead of him. He is really open and honest too.” The Zurich-born stopper has the necessary self-confidence to succeed too. He commented on his clean sheet on his debut with a wink, “It is great that I had one or two opportunities to prove myself. I am happy that I got to play today but our progression is all that matters. I wasn’t that nervous. It’s not the first time I’ve played in goal.”  

Robin Hack

1st October 2017. Bundesliga. TSG against SC Freiburg. Robin Hack was thrown into the Hoffenheim starting XI. The winger signed his first professional contract at TSG in the summer and was given his debut in the derby. And then came, “”What a start. What a story. Robin Hack. Robin Hack makes it 1-0 to TSG. On his Bundesliga debut!” He got his first Bundesliga goal after 14 minutes in the top-flight. And then came the blow – the youngster collided with his teammate Kevin Vogt in the 39th minute. He had to be substituted with a concussion and had a spell on the sidelines. He got his second TSG appearance in the DFB-Pokal against Werder Bremen. That was a quieter game for him. His debut was hard to top.

Justin Hoogma

Justin Hoogma transferred in the summer from the Netherlands to TSG. His role from the start was clear. “I am a contender for the first-team squad,” he said in an interview with achtzehn99.de in July. His goals were just as clear, “I want to always give my all in training. I want to become the best I can be.” He has worked hard day in, day out and has made progress. He was given his debut at the beginning of November in the Europa League against Istanbul Basaksehir. Head coach Julian Nagelsmann thought his “build-up play was good” and exclaimed, “That boy can play!” A tidy debut. For many players that is the foundation of a long career. Not every youngster can score his first goal like Hack did on his debut.

Meris Skenderovic

Meris Skenderovic signed his first professional contract at TSG at the beginning of July, with the contract due to run until June 2021. The youngster took his first steps with the TSG first team at the training camp in WIndischgarsten, Austria. “His big strength is his finishing. He can use both feet and is good at heading the ball, it makes him very dangerous in the area,” TSG assistant coach Matthias Kaltenbach said, who knows the Montenegro youth international well from the TSG youth teams. He saw in the youth teams that the 19-year-old was a big prospect. One could’ve predicted that the youngster would find it hard to get minutes this season in a team with such strong competition for places in attack. He has however made his TSG debut. He played 34 minutes in the Europa League against Ludogorets Razgrad.

In the final Europa League group game against Ludogorets Razgrad, U23 players Simon Lorenz, Alexander Rossipal and Johannes Bühler and U19 player David Otto all made their professional debuts.