Football Season Guide

Greuther Fürth’s solid mid table position last season was certainly an improvement over the year before when they flirted with the relegation zone. Stefan Ruthenbeck’s approach seems to be working then but the challenge for the coach will be to take the team forward and that is one which may have to wait for another season. Over the summer a number of players have left who were part of the backbone of the team. In defence the loss of Benedickt Röcker to Danish side Brondby will be a big loss as he was one of two almost ever present centre backs last term. Probably worse is that their attack has been weakened by the loss of Marco Stiepermann, Johannes Wurtz and Tom Weilandt who are still young and full of potential at this level. A number of other squad players have also left giving Fürth’s overall squad strength a far more slimmed down look this term. In place of those players, who have served the club well over the past few seasons, a much smaller group of players have arrived, but with much to prove. Strikers Sercan Sararer and Mathis Bolly arrive from Fortuna Düsseldorf where neither had seen much success and indeed both are very much journeymen of the second division. Khaled Narey and Lukas Gugganig also have plenty to prove with the former failing to make the grade at a top German side and the latter having been relegated last year. In order for Fürth to do well this term, those new players will have to settle into the team well and prove their former sides wrong. Elsewhere in the team Sebastian Freis, Veton Berisha and Robert Zulj remain who were their top three scorers last season and they will form the front free this season. Still, this is a side which lacks that extra bit of quality needed to break into the top third in the league and in fact they may do well to finish as high as they did last season.