Heidenheim celebrates: First victory brings hope – Traoré under pressure!

Heidenheim celebrates: First victory brings hope – Traoré under pressure!

1. FC Heidenheim achieved a long-awaited success last week with a win against Union Berlin. This triumph is the first in weeks and ensures that the team does not go into the next matchday at the bottom. However, coach Frank Schmidt is cautiously optimistic. He emphasizes that the overall situation has only changed marginally and that the attitude of his players in the last few games was significantly better than before. After a heavy defeat against Gladbach (0:3), internal changes were presumably made to pull the cart out of the mud again.

The absence of FCH boss Holger Sanwald at the press conference before the game was particularly noticeable. After heavy public criticism of the team, it will be exciting to see how this affects the team's dynamics. Schmidt emphasizes that the internal discussions are crucial and that personnel changes cannot be ruled out if the points don't work out in the next games.

Reinforcements in winter?

The coach leaves no doubt that discussions about possible reinforcements in the winter are already underway, regardless of the upcoming results. This could be crucial for 1. FC Heidenheim not only to save the current season, but also to position themselves better for the future.

A prominent name currently in the media is Omar Traoré. He is not only valued as a high-performance player, but is also seen as a potential departure, especially in connection with Union Berlin. However, Schmidt is vague about this and avoids making any concrete speculations about Traoré's future. It remains important to focus on the upcoming game against Freiburg.  kicker.de reports that Traoré's contract runs until summer 2026. This could put pressure on Heidenheim to sell him in the winter to avoid a financial loss.

Omar Traoré's development

The 23-year-old Traoré is playing his first Bundesliga season this season and has developed rapidly. After his move from third division club VfL Osnabrück, he became a permanent fixture in the team. Coach Schmidt praises him as a “great player” and emphasizes that Traoré was given the chance to prove himself after Marnon Busch was injured. In 27 starting eleven appearances so far, the player has not only been able to stabilize defensively, but also shine with four assists, which underlines his value for the team. Schmidt is sure that Traoré will start next season as the favorite for the right-back position.  ligainsider.de provides interesting insights into this.

The coming games will be a real test for 1. FC Heidenheim, not only in terms of strength, but also in terms of future personnel decisions. This will show whether the team will find its way out of its slump in the long term or whether the precarious situation will continue for a longer period of time.