Hoffenheim went through a tumultuous 2015/16 season which eventually ended up with them finishing just a point above the relegation playoff place. There was real optimism in the Hoffenheim camp before the start of the season as the club came into the campaign after a positive previous year and Markus Gisdol seemed to be very stable in his position. Before the beginning of the campaign two important players left, though, which were captain Andreas Beck and playmaker Roberto Firmino, but their absence was expected to be covered by their new signings. However, the loss of such important players coupled with poor performances from their existing squad led to a very poor start to the season. A cup exit in the first round and no win in the league for the first six matches started the alarm bells with the club in the bottom two at the one third stage of the season. By that point the board had had enough and Gisdol was replaced by seasoned veteran Huub Stevens. The Dutchman only won a single time in his ten games before ill health shortened his stay with the club. When he left, Hoffenheim remained second bottom and were a long way from safety. However, new coach Julian Nagelsmann oversaw a complete change in fortunes and, after a slow start, the 28 year old coach led his team to six wins in their last 12 matches. This was still only enough to narrowly secure their safety but the club seemed all but relegated when he took over. Under Nagelsmann next year the club will hope to move forward and get back into the top half, where Hoffenheim were not at the end of any round this term. He will have to clear out the squad which remains very large, a process which has already started. Once again, there is plenty of optimism around them but the board have to give him time to develop the team. As it stands, only a very few players were ever present for the three different coaches this season. Of those handful of players only goalkeeper Oliver Baumann stands out as having been consistent throughout the year, however this campaign has truly been one to forget for the Sinsheim team.
