A brilliant debut campaign in the Bundesliga ended on a slightly sour note for Ingolstadt as they surprised fans and neutrals alike by finishing in a comfortable position in the league table. Tipped to struggle against a straight drop back to 2.Bundesliga, Ingolstadt got their season off to an excellent start and finished the campaign just two points off to the top half of the table and were never in danger of slipping into the relegation zone. Ingolstadt lost just twice in their opening eight games of the season, with both the defeats coming at home, to mark an excellent start to their campaign which saw them occupy a European qualification spot with a quarter of the season gone. Though they did experience a dip in form as the winter break neared, the second half of the season proved to be even better and was characterized by an excellent home form that saw them lose just once at Audi Sportpark in 2016. Key to their excellent campaign was a rock solid defense that saw Ingolstadt concede the least amount of goals among the teams outside of the top three. Marvin Matip and Benjamin Hubner formed a formidable pair at the center of the defense but it was Moritz Hartmann at the other end who was key to Ingolstadt's form this season as the attacker chipped in with crucial goals to help convert good defensive displays into victories. Hartman ended the season with 12 goals, more than a third of the total 33 scored by Ingolstadt this season. While Ingolstadt cruised to a comfortable finish to the season, despite managing to collect just one point from their final five games, the celebrations were a bit muted following news that coach Ralph Hasenhuttl would be leaving the club and taking over at RB Leipzig who will be their direct rival for survival next season. Markus Kauczinski has taken over for the next season and the new coach has a couple of key decisions on hand if Ingolstadt are to enjoy another successful campaign. Danny da Costa made the right back position his own in the second half of the season after overcoming a pre-season injury that had seen him miss out the start of the campaign. Bayer Leverkusen though have confirmed that they have exercised a buy back option that will see da Costa leave Ingolstadt at the end of the season. Offense also needs a tweak for Ingolstadt who were the second worst scorers last season, having scored just twice more than bottom placed Hannover 96, though, should Kauczinski manage to ensure that his side continues to keep it tight at the back, then Ingolstadt fans can look forward to another successful campaign next season.
