Darmstadt survived only thanks to spring transformation that also coincided with a managerial change.
The Lilies made strong start, 3 wins in first 4 rounds, but then 4 consecutive defeats and constantly poor defending saw the problems piling on. Darmstadt ended 2018 on another poor run (2 draws and 4 defeats) to find themselves in the relegation zone during the winter break.
All this was mainly due to the very poor home form and the inability to keep clean sheets, 1 in 18 rounds.
Eventually the patience with coach Schuster ended and in mid-February he was sacked, with Grammozis taking charge from there on. Under the new manager Darmstadt became much better hosts (5 wins, 2 draws and 0 defeats), which was the main reason why survival was secured with 2 rounds to spare.
Dursun was the only player in the squad that scored 10+ goals (11), while both Wittek and Palsson had impressive displays in 2019 after joining in the winter. The 2 main figures throughout the entire campaign were Kempe and Heller, with both of them involved in almost everything good Darmstadt created in attack.
After 2 consecutive hard seasons Darmstadt need greater firepower + improved defending. Those are the main things on which the Lilies will have to focus on next term.
