Magdeburg discovers crosses and headers

Six away wins, 24 points and now the top teams from Paderborn and Düsseldorf in front of them: 1. FC Magdeburg is playing the best first half of its club history in Bundesliga 2. With points against the two top teams, the blue-and-whites could turn a good first half of the season into a very good one. Baris Atik and crosses played a role in the 2:1 (1:1) win in Münster - stylistic devices that FCM's play has lacked so far.

"That surprised me. Has Baris Atik ever scored a header before?" said Prussia coach Sascha Hildmann on Sky after the game. The Magdeburg native had indeed, but more than five years ago. No wonder the Prussians did not have Atik on their radar as a header monster.

The return of the playmaker visibly revitalized Magdeburg's attacking play, striker Martijn Kaars benefited several times from the 29-year-old Atik's ideas, even if he was denied a goal. It was two crosses from half-field that FCM used to score through Atik (12th) and Marcus Mathisen (54th) and secure victory.

Hope for first home win

The extra creativity also gives hope that the first home win of the season can finally come against Paderborn. The discrepancy between home (5 points) and away performances (19 points) is striking. "Maybe some people can't cope with the pressure at home," suspected Atik, but immediately dismissed the idea. "Of course we want to win games at home and have to turn the tide," said the attacker.

In fact, Magdeburg's home and away performances are not so different, although the Elbe club often benefit from the extra space the hosts provide away from home. In Magdeburg, on the other hand, many opponents rely on a compact defense in which FCM has difficulty finding gaps.

The visitors' transition game is likely to play a key role against league leaders Paderborn. FCM mistakes like the one that led to the 1:1 equalizer, when the defence allowed itself to be taken by surprise by Münster and Silas Gnaka lost sight of goalscorer Joshua Mees, must not happen. "I know goals happen through mistakes and our players also make mistakes under stress in the game, but he lets him run away twice - then it becomes difficult to defend," said an annoyed FCM coach Christian Titz.

Crosses as a new stylistic device

The two headers from Magdeburg, on the other hand, could have been a kind of preview of the second half of the season. When FCM line up with new signing Alexander Ahl Holmström, who is strong with his head, crosses will be an even more frequent means of attack for the Elbe club.