Aue descent unavoidable! Männel: “I’m ready to bring the club up again!”

After the bitter 1:3 bankruptcy against Hannover 96, FC Erzgebirge Aue is certain: It will probably go into the 3rd division!
Aue – It was a gradual process, at the end of which FC Erzgebirge Aue willy-nilly after six years 2nd league has to start the bitter journey into the third class. Nothing is fixed yet, but the chances of staying in the league go after that 1:3 against Hannover 96 towards zero.
Martin Männel (34) in the sleet of Aue. The experienced goalkeeper does not want to leave the club out in the rain. © dpa/Sebastian Kahnert
Aue failed on Saturday because of his own courage. The nervousness was palpable in the first half, the burden that resulted from the 0:2 half-time score was too great.
This runs like a red thread through the season. “You could tell from the start that the team had a lot of respect and the fear of making mistakes,” explains FCE captain Martin Männel (34).
“Fear eats the soul”, the title of a film by Rainer-Werner Fassbinder applies to many performances – too many. “If we’re 2-0 down, you play freely because there’s nothing more at stake and you’re able to catch up,” Männel recalls the 3-2 defeats in Regensburg, against Kiel or recently in Ingolstadt Memory.
Hanover could have had a similar drama in store. The first half was one to forget. The violets fell behind due to a co-production by Malcolm Cacutalua, who tried to clear with a thigh in front of Julian Börner (3rd). Hendrik Weydandt (24th) made it 2-0 for Hannover.
The 96ers really didn’t tear up trees and had just over 30 percent possession of the ball in the first half.

The hard landing is coming soon: Martin Männel (34) is up in the air against Hanover. © imago/eibner
But that was enough against an FCE where nobody dared to do anything. The fear of failure and the uncertain future that lay like a leaden shadow over the Aue professionals paralyzed them.
Männel: “For the most part, we have an inexperienced squad, for whom this situation means a certain amount of pressure. Everyone carries their rucksack around with them, as well as the unclear contractual situation for one or the other. Those are things that waft through everyone’s mind and cost a few percent. Then we make it 1-2. The opponent isn’t quite as grippy anymore, we have our own chances and then the belief that actually has to be there from the start comes back again.”
Antonio Jonjic (66th) failed after Nikola Trujic’s connection (54th) to Ron-Robert Zieler. It was Aue’s turn to use the “last chance” postulated by FCE coach Pavel Dotchev. But then Hannover countered. At the back, only escort was given and Cacutalua (75th) deflected again untenably. “After 29 matchdays, it’s understandable that we’re where we are,” says Männel honestly.
Stealing from the affair was never an option for the FCE captain. As he hinted between the lines, he had been thinking about extending the shaft prematurely for a year. The ink was dry at the beginning of March – when it already smelled of descent. “I’m ready to bring the club up again!” Männel wants to clear the gap immediately.