After the double sacking of sports director Stefan Kretzschmar and coach Jaron Siewert and the bitter setbacks against Magdeburg and Gummersbach, Fuchse Berlin are still looking for their form, especially with the absence of Leo Prantner.
"We're missing a few percent because we think too much about what's behind us and what's happening outside of handball. That's where the uncertainty comes from," says new coach Nicolej Krickau to handball-world. And backcourt player Fabian Wiede adds: "Maybe it's all still in your head and continues to work subconsciously."
The next difficult hurdle awaits on Thursday in the Champions League with Danish champions Aalborg Handbold visiting the Max-Schmeling-Halle.
"At the moment, they are perhaps one of the three best teams in the tournament alongside Magdeburg and Barcelona. They have played incredibly well so far and are in great shape. That's why it will be a huge challenge and we have to be at our highest level," says Krickau, who knows the Jutland outfit well from his time as head coach of GOG.
Last season, the Foxes impressively dominated both games in the quarter-finals against Aalborg in April, and clearly won both games. But five months later, much of that winning mentality has been lost.
The Danish coach demands more effort from his players against the Danish champions. “The flow is not there automatically, as it was perhaps last season. And Wiede adds: "We have to try to clear our heads again and show our playing spirit again."