Sinsheim? More like Sinn-crisis

There are games you just want to forget — and then there’s the 0-1 loss in Hoffenheim. A match so uneventful that even the stadium beer probably fell asleep mid-pour. Sure, you could say, “Tight game, narrow loss, it happens.” But two games into the new year and two straight defeats? That’s not “just bad luck,” that’s a full-blown wobble — and we might want to check if someone hit the panic snooze button.

The idea wasn’t bad, to be fair: lots of possession, control, minimal chaos — exactly the strategy you’d want against a team like Hoffenheim, who prefer counterattacks and set pieces. Unfortunately, we conceded a goal from a free-kick after just nine minutes. Flekken looked like he was briefly daydreaming about brunch. The ball went in, and so did our early optimism.

From then on? Plenty of effort, zero punch. It was almost tragicomic how toothless we looked when we did manage to reach their box. Maybe someone forgot to mention that *shooting* is allowed. Schick had the best chance, but when you strike the ball like it’s a balloon at a kid’s party, you're not going to trouble a Bundesliga defense.

And as if things weren’t already dreary enough, both Tella and Flekken went off injured. Of course. Because nothing says “happy away day” like two forced subs and no goals. On the plus side, Janis Blaswich made his debut — calm, composed, didn’t do anything dramatic, which frankly feels like a small miracle these days.

Now the players and coach are all saying the usual: "We have everything we need to be more stable." Great. But right now, this team has about as much stability as a wobbly IKEA table without instructions. Four goals conceded against Stuttgart, now this lifeless display in Hoffenheim — that’s not a bump in the road, that’s a detour into mediocrity.

But hey, we fans are built different. We live off hope and caffeine. Champions League in midweek, Bremen at home next. Maybe — just maybe — it’ll click again. And if not? Well, being a Bayer 04 fan has always been a mix of faith and frustration. Let’s just hope this rough patch doesn’t turn into a full-blown.