Torsten Lieberknecht has achieved a lot in his seven and a half months at SV Darmstadt 98.

But is the influence of the head coach that big?

The club has clearly had a lily plant in its coat of arms since 1898 – but Lieberknecht would prefer a plant from the daisy family these days.

burrs instead of lilies.

Reaching the 40-point mark fueled Lieberknecht's aggressiveness.

"We want to stick with it like crazy," he said on Friday.

"Push, push, push" from a position "that no one previously thought us capable of".

Even if only five points (with nine goals against) jumped out of four second division games in the new year, SV Darmstadt 98 is in fourth place, one point behind the top, a teammate in the promotion race.

A home win over Hansa Rostock this Sunday (1.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the 2nd Bundesliga and on Sky) would help to counteract the imminent dip in form.

After the disastrous performance at home against HSV (0:5), the southern Hesse team followed up with a solid performance in Hanover (2:2).

Midfielder Mathias Honsak expects a “hot and competitive game” against the Rostockers, who are in danger of being relegated.

During this training week, Honsak and colleagues only saw their coach from an unusual perspective.

Lieberknecht reported to the team and more often to his coaching staff via video – from his Darmstadt apartment.

The Palatinate is in isolation at home after his second corona infection.

The first time he was without a club and in quarantine for 14 days, now it's at least seven days.

This Saturday, Lieberknecht can free himself via a PCR test and then resume his work on the pitch in time for the final training session.

A little lightness

Because not only the players saw their coach from an unusual perspective, but also Lieberknecht his pros.

The training sessions were recorded using a drone, so that the soccer coach wasn't in the middle of it, but kept an overview.

There was something Big Brother about Lilies this week.

Lieberknecht's judgment as a spectator from above: "After the tension after the HSV game, the lightness returns."

In addition, the 48-year-old not only used the time at home to work on his guitar playing.

He also researched what 40 points are worth after 22 matchdays in Darmstadt history.

A whole lot.

In the 2013/2014 season, at the end of which there was promotion to the second division, “the club was last secured so early,” emphasized Lieberknecht.

On the other hand, he is currently not sure in which line-up he wants to storm against Rostock.

The top scorer duo Phillip Tietz/Luca Pfeiffer, who have each scored twelve times, are currently lagging behind the form from the first half of the season.

On the other hand, substitute Aaron Seydel shows an upward trend.

After coming on as a substitute, the 1.99 meter giant scored the important goal to make it 2-2 in Hanover.

From the living room at home, Lieberknecht did not want to rule out the possibility that all three attackers could even start.