Karlsruher had solid season and up until mid-February they were even still hoping to catch the top 3, but in the end too many draws prevented that from happening. Still after narrowly avoiding relegation the previous year this was major step forward for the Blues.
Top scorer Hofmann once again led the attack very well, but the big stars were the 2 inner midfielders Wanitzek and Gondorf as almost everything positive Karlsruher created was channelled through them.
Minimal transfer activity in the summer followed by slow start, 4 defeats in the first 6 rounds, put some pressure on the squad. Luckily this was all dispersed with 4 consecutive wins in November and from that point onwards Karlsruher stayed well out of trouble.
Strong start to 2021 (W7 D2 L1) meant that come the end of February the Blues were sitting just 4 points outside the top 3 and they looked like a very dangerous side at that stage.
However, what followed was run of 6 draws in the next 7 rounds and despite very rarely losing matches in 2021 Karlsruher dropped out of contention and had to settle only for top half finish.
The main challenge in the coming months will be to keep as many of the star players as possible with offers already on the table for all of Hofmann, Bormuth, Wanitzek and Gondorf. If the main spine of players stays put, Karlsruher could be serious challengers for promotion next season, if not, avoiding relegation will be the main priority.
