As soon as a club is compared to Tasmania Berlin, the chances of playing a good Bundesliga season are pretty bad. If, like Greuther Fürth, you undercut the historically worst Bundesliga team from Berlin several times, then it looks pretty bleak. Nevertheless, the Fürth are an asset to the Bundesliga. Even if only because they show cohesion and calm in the crisis, which is extremely rare in professional football.
This is how the first half of the season went:
In their second Bundesliga season in the club’s history, Greuther Fürth took one record after the next. Unfortunately, from the point of view of the people of Fürth, these records were all negative in nature. The worst start to the season of all time, most home games without a win, twelve defeats of the season in a row.
After the first counter on the second match day, nothing happened on the Fürth’s point account for a long time. When Leverkusen conceded seven goals for the newcomer, quite a few gave up hope of improvement. But already on the next match day Greuther Fürth ended the negative series and won 1-0 against Union Berlin. And that at home too.
On matchday 17, the Middle Franconians screwed up their points account a little in the derby against Augsburg. However, 5 points, a goal difference of -36 and a 12 point gap on the relegation place speak for themselves.
Who comes who goes:
The chronically damp shamrocks will not be able to make big leaps in the winter transfer period. But one big name has been stubbornly holding out for weeks: Loris Karius. The goalkeeper, who does not play at Liverpool FC, could return to the Bundesliga. Karius could convert the weak point in the Fürth goal into a strength. The only problem: Karius earns several million euros a year in Liverpool and would have to make big cuts in the event of a change.
Hans Nuno Sarpei (FC Ingolstadt) and Emil Berggreen (unknown) will no longer be under contract with the clover leaves in 2022. Adrian Fein could also leave the club. The loaner from FC Bayern Munich has not been able to convince so far.
The trainer:
In February, Stefan Leitl celebrates his three-year anniversary in Fürth. And with very few clubs, Leitl would have had the chance to actually celebrate this anniversary after this first half of the season. But despite the historically poor performance of his team, the position of the coach was never in serious danger. Managing director Rachid Azzouzi always had Leitl’s back. And if the native of Munich doesn’t lose the support of his team, it would be a surprise if Leitl doesn’t sit in the coaching bench in Fürth in the coming season – whatever league that may be.
Expectations for the season:
Mitigation. Because even the greatest optimists will no longer believe in relegation. Because again this year you will need at least 30 points to get the relegation place. Fürth would have to quintuple his points yield – or win a third of all games. Even with Loris Karius and a lot of solidarity, that should be as good as impossible.
But at least the comparison with Tasmania Berlin will want to decide for itself Fürth. And for that they actually have to improve. The Berlin team had ten points (after conversion to the three-point rule), two wins and 108 goals against at the end of the 1965/66 season. With five points, one win and 49 goals conceded, Fürth is currently still dangerously on the Tasmania course. But the positive: with just two wins, the shamrocks would be out of trouble. Then the second half of the season could be a nice farewell tour – until the next reunion in league one.