Lausitzer Füchse saw off Katowice 5:2 in a club friendly on Thursday evening. The result puts the hosts in a better position ahead of the new campaign. To be fair, friendlies rarely tell you everything, but this one showed clear direction.
Lausitzer Füchse had been uneven of late against Kassel. They lost 2:3 and 1:2, but bounced back with 3:2 and 4:3 wins before that heavier 3:6 defeat. The pattern suggested a team still finding its rhythm, which is where the thing about friendlies comes in — they're often about fixing things.
Katowice's run looked less encouraging. Four defeats in their last five friendlies, including two heavy losses to Poprad and two goals conceded against Unia Oświęcim. By then, the away side had only one win to show — that 4:2 against Oświęcim and a 5:4 thriller against Tychy back in February.
The scoreline tells you the home side took their chances more clinically. Five goals against two doesn't happen without structure. And here's the thing — when a team is still working things out in pre-season, a result like this matters more than the numbers.
Lausitzer Füchse go forward with momentum. Katowice have work to do before the competitive fixtures begin. The friendly season is supposed to be about preparation, but sometimes it reveals what's already there.