New Delhi: SC Freiburg head towards the Bundesliga campaign with hopes of a top half finish this time around. The Breisgau-Brasilianer finished 10th last season which was a bit disappointing after their 2022/23 Bundesliga success where they managed to clinch an impressive fifth spot, qualifying for European football. Freiburg played their 24th German top flight season last time around and they will be looking to respond better in the 2024/25 campaign.
The 2023–24 campaign was SC Freiburg’s 120th year of existence and their eighth straight Bundesliga season. They participated in both the UEFA Europa League and the DFB-Pokal. A twelve-year run came to an end on March 17, 2024, when Christian Streich said that this would be his final season in charge. Freiburg’s legendary coach was succeeded by Julian Schuster, a former Freiburg player who is also one of the youngest coaches in Europe. The 39 year old was appointed as the Freiburg manager last month and he will be looking to plan some big things for this team.
Freiburg’s tactical prospects for 2023/24 season
BERLIN, GERMANY – MAY 18: Christian Streich, Head Coach of SC Freiburg, reacts during the Bundesliga match between 1. FC Union Berlin and Sport-Club Freiburg at An der Alten Foersterei on May 18, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
Christian Streich has been a loyal follower of the classic 4-4-2 formation where the team play looks pretty much balanced while it provides a robust defensive presence across the entire field, making it simple to create cover, balance, and compactness in a high press, mid-block, or low block. Lastly, it also offers the ideal balance for football counter attacks as it provides the players with the freedom to play from the back and move all the ball upfront to break the opposition line.
However, Streich did experiment a lot last season, using multiple formations apart from 4-4-2 as we also witnessed the veteran coach play with back-three- 3-4-3 and 3-4-2-1 formations while on some occasions, he also preferred to go with a 4-4-1-1 and 4-1-3-2 formations. It was a season where, the German coach wasn’t able to settle on just one tactic, but his side looked much more threatening on the counter attacks despite not having the best possession record throughout the campaign.
BERLIN, GERMANY – OCTOBER 09: Lars Vossler, Assistant Coach of SC Freiburg, and Julian Schuster, Coach of SC Freiburg, react during the Bundesliga match between Hertha BSC and Sport-Club Freiburg at Olympiastadion on October 09, 2022 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Cathrin Mueller/Getty Images)
Freiburg looked much more comfortable sitting back and find the best possible opportunity to make their runs forward towards the opposition territory. However, they were amongst the sides that scored the lowest number of goals throughout the campaign, ranking 12th in the list with just 45 goals. Something that might be a big concern for Julian Schuster is certainly the attacking prowess of the team. When it comes to defensive attributes, Freiburg again sit 12th as they conceded 58, same as Union Berlin, throughout the campaign.
The team certainly needs to revive themselves for another season, where the fans will be expecting a better finish that 10th. Schuster needs to take the charge and make sure that the team responds well and turn the tables when it comes to these attributes. It is likely to see the new German coach use the same tactics as he has himself played under Chirstian Streich, following his tactics which he is very much familiar with.
Transfer analysis
16 March 2024, Baden-Württemberg, Heidenheim: Soccer: Bundesliga, 1. FC Heidenheim – Bor. Mönchengladbach, Matchday 26, Voith-Arena. Heidenheim’s Eren Dinkci in action. Photo: Tom Weller/dpa – IMPORTANT NOTE: In accordance with the regulations of the DFL German Football League and the DFB German Football Association, it is prohibited to utilize or have utilized photographs taken in the stadium and/or of the match in the form of sequential images and/or video-like photo series. (Photo by Tom Weller/picture alliance via Getty Images)
The arrivals of midfielder Patrick Osterhage from VFL Bochum and the Turkish winger, Eren Dinkci could prove to be crucial signings for the Breisgau-Brasilianer. Patrick Osterhage had a more than decent season for Bochum, where he proved to be a solid playmaker down the middle of the pitch. The German midfielder was signed for a fee total of €4.8 Million, and he can provide a solid midfield shift as a central midfielder.
His ability to move upfront to join an attacking move, poncing on any sort of an opportunity to make his presence felt can be vital for the Schuster’s side. Besides, he can also contribute by fulfiling his defensive duties, making him the perfect box to box midfielder for SC Freiburg.
23 May 2024, North Rhine-Westphalia, Bochum: Soccer: Bundesliga, relegation, VfL Bochum – Fortuna Düsseldorf, first leg, Vonovia Ruhrstadion. Bochum’s Patrick Osterhage in action. IMPORTANT NOTE: In accordance with the regulations of the DFL German Football League and the DFB German Football Association, it is prohibited to use or have used photographs taken in the stadium and/or of the match in the form of sequential images and/or video-like photo series. Photo: David Inderlied/dpa (Photo by David Inderlied/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Eren Dinkci had a great season with FC Heidenheim where he managed to make 14 goal contributions from the right flank. The Turkish winger can turn out to be a massive threat and Schuster will be looking to make the most out of his abilities. Throughout last season’s Bundesliga campaign, Dinkci managed to score 10 times while also providing four assists for the Heidenheim side. He proved to be one of their main men who helped the newcomers finish an impressive 8th position in their very first German top flight campaign.
The Turkish was signed for a fee total of €5 Million, becoming Freiburg’s seventh most expensive signing in their history. Eren Dinkci might turn out to be the player who can actually sort Freiburg’s attacking problems that they faced last season.
Early predictions: Freiburg looking to finish in the top half
It was a disappointing 2023/24 campaign for Freiburg as the expectations were high after their 2022/23 season where they managed to finish fifth, qualifying for the Europa league. This year, the expectations would be to finish in the top half of the table as the team will be playing under the guidance of a new coach. However, it might turn out to be a good campaign with some new faces in the Freiburg squad and the team will be looking to repeat their success from the 2022/23 campaign.
Freiburg will be looking to make an impact and repeat their past success from the 2022/23 Bundesliga campaign. Here’s a preview of what to expect from the Breisgau-Brasilianer next season. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
