Just like in 2013/2014, this last season was a real mixed bag for Hoffenheim who ended up just outside the Europa League places once again. Markus Gisdol barely managed to move Hoffenheim on from his first full season in charge as they still have the same strengths and suffer from the same weaknesses as before. In goalscoring they are amongst the top seven but their defence let them down badly as they conceded more than a side like Freiburg who were relegated from the league. They started off well in the league as they made it to round 10 before losing and at that point they were in the top four. Their defence looked very solid and up front it seemed like Anthony Modeste and new signing Adam Szalai were the perfect combination. Despite losing to three of the eventual top four between rounds 10 - 17, they ended the first round of games in seventh place, a position they were to hold until round 28. However in round 15 at home to Eintracht Frankfurt defensive lynchpin Niklas Süle suffered a cruciate ligament injury which would eventually keep him out until the end of the season. That and other injuries hampered their start in 2015 which saw them go back to the inconsistent Hoffenheim of the last few seasons. Their defence looked much weaker without Süle and they struggled to play with the same starting team every week. A lack of cover at the back also meant that some players were forced to fill in roles that they were not really suited for. A harsh training regime early in the season also tired the players out so that in the last third of the season they were barely able to compete anymore with the sides around and above them. This was one of the mistakes that Gisdol admitted near the end of the season as their hopes of a top seven place faded away. Even when they were more solid at the back, their strikers let them down badly with Szalai barely featuring near the end of of the season and Modeste struggling bad for form. Only the performances of Roberto Firmino and Kevin Volland from midfield helped the side to maintain a threat going forward. A cup exit at the quarter final stage seemed to knock their confidence once and for all with them winning just twice in the league in their final seven games, hardly the performance of a Europa League side. Their shocking second half of the season was one of the worst in the club’s history and shows just how well they played until Christmas. Gisdol says that they only wanted a solid finish this year but if they play as they did in the opening rounds for a whole campaign then a top seven place would be a possibility for next season. The question surrounding Hoffenheim is whether their coaching or playing staff are the right people for that job, or if they have taken the club as far as they can. They will have to dip into the transfer market again to strengthen the squad, especially considering some of their more talented players will probably be poached this summer including star man Roberto Firmino who is very likely to leave. With Gisdol entering his third season next year, the expectation will be for improvement and he will point out their relative stability in comparison to the few years before he joined. But the club are ambitious and he will need to give the board what they want.
