Kramarić benched again as Ilzer warns Hoffenheim legend: 'You have to earn your minutes'
Hoffenheim's record scorer still waiting for lift-off
Andrej Kramarić's season has yet to get going. After undergoing groin surgery following the World Cup, the Hoffenheim record goalscorer missed almost the entire pre-season and has struggled to regain match fitness.
The numbers underline the problem. Across eight appearances this campaign, he has accumulated just 179 minutes on the pitch — a fraction of the workload a player of his standing would normally expect.
A first start, then back to the bench
The Croatian started for the first time this season in Hoffenheim's 3-2 defeat against Beşiktaş, playing 70 minutes before returning to the bench for the subsequent league defeat against Hamburg. He was introduced in the 63rd minute in that game and also remained among the substitutes for Sunday's 2-1 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Ilzer recognises Kramarić's quality and experience but insists that every player must earn their minutes.
"You can't give away playing time as a coach. Players simply have to earn their minutes through performances," the Austrian explained.
He also acknowledged that players returning from injuries need time to build up their fitness and form, making communication with them particularly important.
A club legend facing a fight for his place
Few players at Hoffenheim can match Kramarić's standing at the club. He has scored 158 goals in more than a decade with the Bundesliga side and netted 15 times last season. Sporting director Andreas Schicker described him as a club legend when his contract was extended in May.
Despite his reduced role, Kramarić has not publicly voiced his frustration. The forward, who finished as a World Cup runner-up with Croatia in 2018 and third in 2022, has largely kept his thoughts to himself in recent weeks.
Tougher tests ahead
Hoffenheim's 2-1 victory in Gladbach offered some relief after a difficult spell, but tougher tests lie ahead. Thursday's Europa League encounter with Lyon, who lead Ligue 1, will be followed by a Bundesliga meeting with Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday. For Kramarić, both fixtures offer an opportunity to work his way back into Ilzer's plans.
The Lyon match comes with Hoffenheim still searching for a first point in the league phase, having lost both of their opening Europa League fixtures — including a 3-2 home defeat to Beşiktaş in which Hyeon-Gyu Oh struck twice, a result reported at the time as deepening the pressure on Ilzer (bulinews.com, 16 October 2026). Hoffenheim were also without defender Albian Hajdari for that fixture, with Ilzer confirming on 14 October 2026 that the Kosovan would miss a number of weeks.