Football Season Guide

It was another solid showing for Karlsruher last season despite a tough start. Coach Eichner was under pressure at the turn of the year with the club struggling near the bottom, but results and performances improved dramatically and they eventually finished seventh. There is a buzz around the club after Lars Stindl agreed to return to his boyhood team in the summer. The striker is now 34 but still has a lot to offer, especially with the step down from the Bundesliga where he has performed consistently for several years. The loss of goalkeeper Gersbeck has quickly been rectified with the solid acquisition of Drewes from Sandhausen. Although the departure of talented midfielder Breithaupt is a blow, they did cope well without him through injury for a lot of last season. Karlsruher’s potential strengths could again be in forward areas but Eichner may have to change tactics slightly to suit Stindl. Kaufmann has returned to his parent club after a successful loan spell so there could be a lack of pace up front. The weaknesses have mainly been in defence for Karlsruher over the past few seasons and they could again be vulnerable due to their forward-thinking approach. New trio Bormuth, Burnic, and Beifus could help to keep things tight in defensive areas but this remains to be seen.