A successful return to the Bundesliga for Fortuna Dusseldorf who had kicked the season off as one of the favorites for the drop but finished the campaign sitting just outside the top half of the league table, well clear of the relegation zone.
Dusseldorf got their season off to a bad start and a return of just nine points from their opening 14 games saw them drop to the foot of the table by December. One of the major problems for Funkel was a leaky defense with Dusseldorf regularly conceding two goals or more against their opponents, also suffering a heavy 1-7 thrashing at Eintracht Frankfurt.
Things though began to improve just before the winter break as Dusseldorf tightened up at the back and while there were odd poor outings for the defense, they were reasonably solid and complemented by a consistent attack as the club found the back of the net with some regularity.
Key to Dusseldorf's revival were the performances of Kevin Stoger, Benito Raman and Dodi Lukebakio, the former chipping in with seven assists from the midfielder while Lukebakio and Raman both ended the campaign as joint top scorers with 10 goals each.
Defeats to Bayern Munchen, Borussia Dortmund and Mainz in the final six games put to an end any hopes of a top half finish though Funkel will be extremely satisfied with his side exceeding expectations by comfortably securing their survival.
Dusseldorf will be looking to avoid the second season syndrome next season and if they are to come anywhere close to repeating this season's heroics, improving their poor defensive record will have to be top of Funkel's list for the next season.
