Football Season Guide

Elversberg’s first taste of second-tier football was a successful one as they comfortably avoided any relegation danger. The SV were a breath of fresh air, toppling some of the big boys on their way. In fact they were up as high as sixth last December, before a not so good second-half of the campaign saw them finish in the bottom half. Experienced boss Horst Steffen has done a remarkable job since his arrival in 2018, bringing the club up from the fourth-tier, including back-to-back promotions. You do wonder how much further he can take the club now though, apart from cementing a regular place in the second division. There hasn’t been a large amount of transfer activity, which isn’t surprising given their limited budget compared to others. The five newcomers are young prospects and are relatively untested, but Steffen is a shrewd coach who knows what he’s looking for from his players. They were unable to secure another loan deal for young talent Paul Wanner while winger Rochelt has left for Hannover, both were among the top performers last season so will be a loss. Elversberg are likely to play with no fear again so expect them to be a threat on the counter-attack. Second season syndrome is a concern, but Steffen is unlikely to allow their focus to drop.