Page 50 - Soccer360 - Issue 103

Hoffenheim’s Andrej Kramaric (C) celebrates after scoring the 1-1 during the Bundesliga soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and SG Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim were another team fortunate to escape relegation after an awful run of form that saw them fail to win 14 matches in succession between October and February. As a result, the club opted to remove coach André Breitenreiter and bring in Pellegrino Matarazzo in his stead, which did turn things around
and helped them to ultimately finish in 12th. Once again, Croatian striker Andrej Kramarić shouldered much of the goalscoring responsibilities with 12 strikes for his team, but there are still concerns about an overdependence on him when it comes to the attacking department. The club have also lost essential midfielder Christoph Baumgartner, who’s now playing for RB Leipzig, but they have attempted to find an apt replacement by re-signing Ajax’s Florian Grillitsch.
All in all, it remains to be seen whether Hoffenheim will be competing for a European football spot, or once again, looking to avoid being dragged into an unwanted relegation battle.
Köln
Köln have been dealt a huge setback in the transfer market as they have
been blocked from making any major signings for the next couple of seasons. They’ve lost two key players, with Elyes Skhiri leaving for Eintracht Frankfurt and defender Jonas Hector surprising many with his decision to retire early. However, that hasn’t prevented them from bringing in some players on a free transfer, namely Leart Paqarada, who’s expected to replace Hector, as well as Jonas Nickisch and Jacob Christensen to fill in at goalkeeper and midfielder respectively. Head coach Steffen Baumgart has helped them avoid the drop since taking over in 2021 and after finishing in 11th place last term, will naturally hope to improve the club’s fortunes a bit by breaking into the upper half of the table.
NICKNAME:
Die Geißböcke (The Billy Goats) Effzeh
MANAGER:
Steffen Baumgart
LAST YEAR FINISH:
Bundesliga, 11th
NICKNAME:
Die Kraichgauer (From Kraichgau region), achtzehn99 (1899)
Der Blau (The Blues)
MANAGER:
Pellegrino Matarazzo
LAST YEAR FINISH:
Bundesliga, 12th
NICKNAME:
Die Nullfünfer (the 05ers), Karnevalsverein (Carnival club)
MANAGER:
Bo Svensson
LAST YEAR FINISH:
Bundesliga, 9th
Mainz
After failing to qualify for the UEFA Europa Conference League, Mainz will be looking to secure at least
a top seven finish this time around. Die Nullfünfer have managed to finish in the top half of the table in the last
two seasons, and as such, manager Bo Svensson will hope that his team are able
to go the distance following their unfortunate late season crumble last time out. They’ve managed to keep most of their key personnel, including Anton Stach, Jae-Sung Lee, Robin Zentner, Stefan Bell and Karim Onisiwo. Meanwhile, Schalke’s Tom Krauß has arrived after being one of the relegated side’s top performers last season. Mainz will certainly face a lot of competition to secure a European football spot, but it’s a safe bet
that their highly ambitious manager Svensson will not be afraid of a challenge.
Mainz’s head coach Bo Svensson reacts
50 SOCCER360 MAGAZINE
2023-24 BUNDESLIGA SEASON PREVIEW