Holstein Kiel head coach Marcel Rapp made a piece of Bundesliga history on Saturday afternoon, albeit not in the most positive way. By deciding to pull the trigger on a triple substitution in the 35th minute, Rapp set a new record. No top flight head coach has decided to replace three players at once so early. Rapp found himself dissatisfied with a 0-1 deficit and three bookings from his players.
Rapp took two of his players on yellow cards – defenders Marko Ivezic and Lasse Rosenboom – off with ten minutes to go in the opening half. Striker Phil Harres also got the hook. Lewis Holtby, Timo Becker, and Shuto Machino served as the new introductions in this historic event. Granted, five subs have only been allowed in the Bundesliga since the spring 2020 pandemic.
“You can change five times as a coach and it’s not written anywhere that you can only change from the 60th minute onwards,” Rapp remakes at the post match press conference. “I tried to influence the game. That’s why there was a triple change.
“We were inaccurate in passing and were outnumbered in the duels,” Rapp continued. “If I’m honest, I have no explanation for it. We prepared for the game in detail Why we then went on to lose so many duels, I cannot answer.“
