Ahead of a key 2. Bundesliga match against Dynamo Dresden, a comment from visiting sporting director Sören Gonther has sparked conversation. The 39-year-old spoke about defender Thomas Keller's move from 1. FC Heidenheim to Dresden in a report by Bild Sport.
1. FC Heidenheim, currently 9th in the 2. Bundesliga with three points from two games, hosts 11th-placed Dresden on August 29th. Frank Schmidt's team has scored five goals this season but also conceded seven. This leaves the club three points behind league leaders 1. FC Nürnberg.
Sören Gonther, Dynamo Dresden's sporting director, directly referenced the defender's transfer in the build-up to the match. "That's true. Well, if I had been Heidenheim, I would have kept him. But that's not my authority," Gonther said verbatim. The 27-year-old Thomas Keller moved from Heidenheim to Dresden before this season after playing four years for FCH. During that time, the central defender made 22 appearances and scored one goal. The relationship and trust between Keller and Heidenheim's long-serving coach Frank Schmidt was not as strong as it now is in Dresden.
The first weeks of the season have been bumpy for the relegated side. In their first three competitive matches, the defense under coach Frank Schmidt conceded twelve goals. This included a 4-1 loss at Hertha BSC in the league and a surprising 5-2 defeat at Regionalliga side Jeddeloh in the DFB-Pokal. These numbers highlight the current uncertainty in the back line, a gap potentially left by Thomas Keller's departure. The team must now respond in front of their home crowd against Dresden. The full schedule can be found on our fixtures page.
Dynamo Dresden is traveling to Heidenheim with a clear plan. Coach Thomas Stamm, the 43-year-old Swiss, analyzed the opponent closely. He called Heidenheim a role model for long-term cooperation but also described their defense as normally very man-oriented and 'disgusting'. Stamm also warned of FCH's offensive strength from set-pieces. Sporting director Gonther expects Heidenheim, in a phase of transition after relegation, to play "with a knife between their teeth". The current league standings can be tracked on our standings page at any time.
For Heidenheim coach Frank Schmidt, defensive groundwork is the priority. The 52-year-old club icon knows his team must show a reaction. "Giving slaps would probably be bad in the game," Schmidt pointedly stated the need for concentration and toughness. The match offers a chance to improve the negative goal difference of 5:7 and keep pace with the top group. Individual player performance data is available on our stats page. A win could push Heidenheim significantly forward in the 2. Bundesliga mid-table and help them forget the difficult start to the season.
