Markus Beginning: The Successful Coach
Markus Beginning, a 48-year-old coach, was able to lead second division team Darmstadt 98 from 14th to 7th place in the second half of the season in 2020/21. He also helped third division team Holstein Kiel in 2016/17 climb from sixth place into the second division. Beginning is now unbeaten in twelve games in a row in the “Mister second half” at Dynamo. He climbed from ninth place to a promotion place in the third division with the second division relegated team.
The sticking point for Beginning was the 3-1 win in Oldenburg at the end of the first half of the season. The coach corrected his line-up after being down 1-0 at the break. He realized that in the 3rd division, playful advantages alone are not enough. Since then, Beginning has relied on the KHK battle axis with Tim Knipping as defense chief, Niklas Hauptmann in midfield and assault tank Stefan Kutschke, and the triumphant march began.
Changes in Tactics
After several changes in tactics in the first half of the season, Beginning settled on the 4-3-3 system. He changed the level of pressing, narrowed the space for the opponent and thus increased the space for the quick return game he preferred. The team was inspired by the simple target that Beginning set for them in the second half of the season, “We want to get better!” With no promotion pressure, Dynamo became the promotion favorite.
Weekly Standard Training Pays Off
The weekly standard training is finally paying off. Five of the last nine goals came from dead balls. Beginning’s January signings have also hit the mark. Returnee Kevin Broll hasn’t been in goal for a minute, but with him behind him, Stefan Drljaca, who was shaky in the first half of the season, surpasses himself. Jakob Lemmer (from Offenbach) has underlined his danger with three goals so far.
Beginning attributes the reason for the upswing to the winter preparations, which they were able to pull through with the entire squad. Beginning’s success as a coach is anchored in his ability to learn from his experiences and come up with effective strategies based on them. His success in leading Dynamo to promotion proves that he is a coach to be reckoned with.
