Man marking or zonal marking?

High press, or a deeper defensive line?

These are the sorts of questions managers usually ask themselves before a match, when trying to figure out a set-up that will negate the opposition’s attacking threat.

Then there’s German amateur side SG Ripdorf/Molzen II, which was dealing with a situation unique to 2020.

One of the players from SV Holdenstedt II, their local rivals, had been in contact with an opponent infected with COVID-19 in a previous match.

As a result, Ripdorf didn’t feel conditions were safe, fielding seven players, the minimum required for a match to go ahead, and opting to practice safe physical distancing on the pitch.

This made things rather easy for Holdenstedt, who ran out 37-0 winners in the German 11th tier match on Sunday.

Over to the Sydney Morning Herald:

“We are thankful those seven players volunteered, otherwise the club would have faced a €200 ($325) fine for abandoning the match,” Ripdorf co-chair Patrick Ristow told ESPN. “That’s a lot of money for us, especially amid the pandemic.”

Holdenstedt showed no mercy and scored a goal nearly every two minutes, while their opponents watched on from a safe distance.

“When the game kicked off, one of our players passed the ball to the opponent and our team walked to the sidelines,” Ristow said.

At first, Holdenstedt didn’t understand what was happening, but when they clocked on they showed no mercy.

This is the only footage available from the match, and shows a distinct lack of intensity.

Holdenstedt are in the blue:

Ripdorf had requested that the match be postponed, but Holdenstedt declined. Their coach, Florian Schierwater, said there was “no basis to call off the match”.

Credit must go to Ripdorf for being noble in defeat, with co-chair Ristow saying “we wished Holdenstedt no harm”.

That’s their goal difference for the season ruined.

[source:smh]