Freiburg have had a season to remember as the perennial relegation candidates were transformed into a team that managed a historic semi final in the DFB Pokal and a spot in the Europa League next season, missing out on a Champions League spot with a final day defeat at home to Schalke. The start of the season showed few signs of what was to come as they sat in mid-table after the opening few rounds as they fought for points without playing particularly well but after beating Nurnberg well in round seven they went on an excellent run losing only to the big two of Dortmund and Bayern right the way up to Christmas at which point they had moved in fifth place. The attacking play of Max Kruse and Jan Rosenthal in particular lit up many of their performances while still remaining solid at the back and giving away few goals. A cup run also helped to keep the momentum of the team going with and extra win over Mainz taking them to their first ever German Cup semi final where they unfortunately lost to Stuttgart. Around this time they also faltered in the league opening the door to rival teams to take the European place they had held for so long. But important wins against Augsburg and Furth helped them to secure the top six finish they craved and on the last day of the season they could enter the Champions League qualifying stage with a win over Schalke at home, it was not to be as they were beaten well by their guests but a top five finish is a fantastic achievement for the club. Much credit has to go to Christian Streich who has moulded this young Freiburg side into a decent football team but many of the bigger players will leave during the summer including Max Kruse who has signed for Gladbach, they will do well to reach the heights of this season again next year.
