Hamburger SV needed a victory in their final game of the campaign to ensure that they extended their record of having featured in every season of the Bundesliga after finishing in 14th place. Hamburg looked destined for a relegation playoff for a third time in four seasons after enduring a disappointing campaign that saw them sit in the bottom three for large portions of the season. Bruno Labbadia's second season in charge of the club did not go according to plan with Hamburg embarking on a dismal start that saw them collect just four points from their first 12 games and drop quickly to the foot of the league table. Scoring goals proved to be the biggest problem for Hamburg who drew a blank in seven of their opening nine games and, while Labbadia's departure for Markus Gisdol did see an upturn in Hamburg's displays in the final third, they continued to be vulnerable at the back. Things did not improve in the first few weeks of Gisdol's appointment but December proved to be a crucial month for Hamburg who won three of their four games and headed into the winter break sitting in the relegation playoff spot. Hamburg's form continued to improve at the start of the new year as they hit a good run of eight games that saw them lose just once, to eventual champions Bayern Munchen.
The arrivals of Kyriakos Papadopoulos and Mergim Mavraj in the January transfer window did stabilize the defense for Hamburg but it was Nicolai Muller's displays that proved to be key for their survival with the midfielder ending the campaign as the joint top scorer with five goals but also chipped in with six assists. Despite Hamburg's good displays, they were never really able to pull clear of the relegation zone and needed the win over Wolfsburg to secure their safety on the final day of the season. With Rene Adler, Johan Djourou and Matthias Ostrzolek having left the club on free transfers and Papadopoulos' loan spell ending, it promises to be another busy summer for Gisdol who not only has to find a replacement at the center of the defense but also will have to identify a reliable goalscoring striker with Bobby Wood and Pierre-Michel Lasogga both struggling to impress the Hamburg coach.
