Philipp's brilliant saves: Even the "almost neighbor" raves about
In his fifth Bundesliga game, Luca Philipp put in a top performance in goal for TSG Hoffenheim and secured a point in the 1:1 draw against VfB Stuttgart. He received a hail of praise for this.
Neighborly help: Luca Philipp (left) parries for his already beaten "almost neighbor" Kevin Akpoguma (2nd from left) against Angelo Stiller (2nd from right). IMAGO/Eibner
"Luca had fantastic saves," enthused coach Christian Ilzer . "He did his job at a very high level." Kevin Akpoguma , who as Philipp's "almost neighbor" already has a special relationship with the goalkeeper, agreed: "Top, top, top. I am very proud of him for the way he represented Oli Baumann , the best goalkeeper in Germany."
Only Baumann’s injury brought Philipp into goalIlzer threw Philipp in at the deep end at the end of January because of Baumann's plantar fascia injury in his right foot . Up until then, the 1.92-meter giant had offered largely solid performances. In the 1:1 (0:1) against VfB, he exceeded his own expectations with several saves and secured a point for TSG Hoffenheim . He spectacularly deflected Atakan Karazor's shot onto the post (30th minute), and Angelo Stiller (59th minute), Nick Woltemade (31st minute, 70th minute) and Deniz Undav (78th minute) also met their match in Philipp.
"Self-praise is always a bit difficult," said the homegrown player cautiously, and also radiated humility with a view to the future and a possible return of Baumann between the posts: "Oli stands for himself, over 400 games, I remain down to earth, I know my position here." The question of the future will inevitably arise, because Philipp's contract ends this summer.
Contract ends: What's next for the 24-year-old?Despite his 34 years, there is no evidence that Baumann is considering ending his career, especially since his performances and recent appearances in the DFB team give no reason to do so and his contract runs until 2026. But Philipp is now at an age where he needs match practice. How does he see his contractual situation? "We'll see, we'll sit down together and have an open relationship about it. Both sides deserve that after almost twelve years that I've been here at the club."
Philipp von Baumann could particularly benefit from playing with the ball at his feet, and the Stuttgart native definitely still has room for improvement there. Building up from the back is not his strength, and even the long balls still have a huge spread, which needs to be eliminated if the keeper wants to establish himself at the highest level. This was once again evident against VfB despite his top performance (kicker rating 1.5).
"He can still learn a few things for the future"And Akpguma also notes this critically, although the defender has a smile on his face: "There are a few things he can still learn for the future. Have patience, stay calm on the ball. Sometimes there is no reason to hit the ball too quickly."
However, the interim conclusion for his colleague is very good: "Five games were top, one game was satisfactory to adequate." Philipp will certainly be able to live with this assessment of his "almost neighbor".
