Holstein Kiel plan to stick with “unburdened” keeper Thomas Dähne in net

Holstein Kiel plan to stick with 31-year-old keeper Thomas Dähne in their forthcoming Bundesliga fixture against FSV Mainz 05 this weekend. Kiel head coach Marcel Rapp confirmed this in an interview with the local Kieler Nachrichten newspaper. Dähne filled in for regular #1 Timo Weiner in a matchday 22 away loss to Eintracht Frankfurt and this weekend’s home defeat to SV Werder Bremen. 

Rapp’s continues to try all manner of personnel switches to shake up the league’s last-placed team. This weekend, the man tasked with leading die Störche made Bundesliga history by employing the earliest ever triple player substitution since the five-sib rule was implemented during the 2020 pandemic. Rapp has also regularly turned to former fourth-division striker Phil Harres to start this year. 

Rapp explained his decision to stick with Dähne in net by emphasizing that the former Red Bull academy man stood no real chance against Bremen’s “wonder goals” on Saturday. Dähne has conceded six goals in his two Bundesliga starts. This still pales in comparison to the 61 goals conceded by Weiner in his 25 league deployments thus far this season. 

“I wanted someone in there who was perhaps a bit less burdened,” Rapp told the paper. “Tommy [Dähne] did a decent job and has trained well recently. He’ll be in goal again next weekend against Mainz.“

GGFN | Peter Weis