The reason is simple and clear.
Disastrous roster composition!
Evidence anyone?
1. A central defender is missing.
Currently, with Süle, Schlotterbeck and Hummels, there are only three regular and above all Bundesliga-compatible central defenders that are available to us. You can see why the buyers let Süle go. Schlotterbeck’s performance is too inconsistent and Hummels is having less and less of a good day.
Conclusion: Negligently understaffed the central defense and not reacting to the shortage of personnel as well as missing the competition and thus the fight for quality with fresh blood.
You should have gotten Bella-Kotchap or Jan Paul van Hecke!
2. A left defender is missing.
The fact that Guerreiro (had to) go to a direct competitor is not the big problem. Even if he was versatile when he was fit. With Dann, you are rightly loaning Tom Rothe out so that he can get match practice (and making good use of it right now), but in Bensebaini you are only bringing in a trained left-back. Schulz is gone and didn’t matter anyway. Ryerson should get stuck on the right and not have to constantly help out on the left. In addition, you have to plan for three things. First, what if Bensebaini gets sick or injured? Second, what if Bensebaini is suspended? And third, what if Bensebaini takes part in the Africa Cup?
Conclusion: blatant misplanning. Each position must be filled twice. With Bensebaini you only have a left defender who has learned this position and can/must/should play.
You should have gotten a Luke Thomas or Borna Sosa here!
3. A right-back is missing.
Here comes the Ryerson name again. It’s our number one RV. Wolf is too offensive to give away on defense. Internally, Meunier and Morey Bauza have obviously slipped into the status that Schulz had last year. Sympathy or not, these two players should either have been loaned out if no buyer emerged or, as with Schulz, the contracts had to be dissolved. In addition, there is also no alternative in this position. The same applies as for Bensebaini. What if Ryerson is out? I explained why the other three RVs in our squad are not an option.
Conclusion: Totally overstaffed position, but with the lack of quality. Either playfully or defensively oriented. A lot of money is being burned unnecessarily in salaries here.
A Josha Vagnoman has been on my list for 4 years and has been recommended by me again and again since 2019. He is now a national player and plays in the Bundesliga. Alternatively, a Ridle Baku is a conceivable option on the position. You should have gotten one of the two before the season!
4. A strong defensive middle player is missing.
With Bellingham and Dahoud they lost two players in the centre. Unfortunately, one could not be held and the other, despite his technical skills and due to his susceptibility to injury, unfortunately no quality gain. With Guerreiro you have also lost a playful option on the position. Can’s performances fluctuate too much, Özcan doesn’t need to be taken into account because, like Rode back then, he just suits us and our style of play, and Kamara is too young and not nearly as talented as Bellingham (no accusation, just a fact). It was constantly rumored that they were prepared for a departure from Bellingham. There was none of that to be seen. Sabitzer was a panic transfer. Which is not a quality feature for him at first. Sabitzer is a player that can be picked up from the construction site that arose after Bellingham’s departure. Nmecha, apart from the fact that he was absolutely overpriced, is obviously not mature enough in terms of play to be able to help the team in defensive or central midfield. Pohlmann was only given a contract to comply with the regulations of the DFL (local player regulation, 12 Germans).
Conclusion: Three players for whom the salary is thrown out the window, but no quality that can provide defensive stability. We’re missing a player like Marc van Bommel or Stefan Effenberg in our squad. Can isn’t nearly good enough to claim that position.
You could have gotten a Youri Tielemans free of charge if Sebastian Kehl and/or a scouting department had been active from January 1st, 2023. Because from then on you could have negotiated with players whose contracts expired at the end of the season. Okay, maybe they tried and got rejected or, as with Edson Alvarez, didn’t want to/couldn’t/shouldn’t manage the overall financial package. Completely different options remain. You had to get Vitaly Janelt or Morten Hjulmand! Alternatively, an Anton Stach would have been available for 10 to 15 million. Leandro Barreiro is also a player that has to be on our list.
5. Thorgan Hazard is still in the squad. -.- Three years ago you could have sold it for +-30 million. Another player who only uses salary.
Conclusion: Left winger is more than very well occupied with Adeyemi and Bynoe-Gittens. Hazard needs to be sold, loaned out or have his contract terminated.
6. A center forward was brought in, but the completely wrong one.
I find Niclas Füllkrug very likeable. But that’s where it ends. He is more than just limited in terms of play, too old for the price we paid again (you can do it with us) and with 16 goals only became the top scorer in the league with Dusel because of a lack of quality. On top of that, it’s almost pathological and pathological to think that he’ll score anywhere near as many goals for us. Why do we keep letting ourselves be fooled into overpriced players? I’ll just take a few strikers that we brought in and burned a lot of money for them. Diego Klimowicz, Adrian Ramos, Anthony Modeste, Niclas Füllkrug, Sebastien Haller (he’s not worth 31 million, not yet), Alexander Isak (the ROI doesn’t care about the development the player has taken), Maximilian Philipp, Ciro Immobile, Julian Schieber (who was only brought in because of the 4:4 against Stuttgart), Dimitar Rangelov, Mohamed Zidan (probably brought in because of the similarity in name with Zizou), Viktor Ikpeba, Bachirou Salou, Heiko Herrlich, Harry Decheiver, Fredi Bobic…
Füllkrug was also a panic transfer. And then also an overpriced one and in the completely wrong position. Yes, you need a center forward who can replace Sebastien Haller. The same applies to him as to Bensebaini and Ryerson. What if he fails? Haller also takes part in the Africa Cup.
Conclusion: Money was repeatedly burned here unnecessarily. Haller is not the goal-getter that we urgently need after Lewandowski, Aubameyang, Haaland etc. Füllkrug will play too seldom to get an adequate goal quota and obviously Moukoko is not believed to be capable of development and playful ability.
You should have gotten a Nelson Weiper or Marcus Thuram or Hugo Ekitike or Serhou Guirassy or Jonas Wind or Moussa Dembele (free transfer) or or or…! Maybe we should have asked for CR7 again, he was offered to us. With him and his mentality and the will to win we would have been 1,000% German champions.
Summary:
The squad is completely wrong. Who puts together the squad? Correct. Sebastian Kehl.
The team doesn’t look well trained at the moment. Who coaches the team? Correct. Edin Terzic.
It feels like everyone fell into a hole after the botched season finale. Here the psychological department with Dr. Philipp Laux become active. Of course, enough fresh blood would have ensured that the will to win and the mentality remained high or even increased.
Ergo, count Sebastian Kehl and make it his duty to improve the squad significantly in winter. Where have the hundreds of millions of euros gone? Invest in the team. And dalli!
Furthermore, count Edin Terzic. He’s not outlawed just because he’s nice and professional. In the end, only results count.
In the current condition and the way the team is playing, I’m very scared of the upcoming games. At this point I’m expecting a knock out of the cup in round two, a disastrous knock out in the preliminary round of the Champions League and a best case scenario of a place between 9 and 12 in the Bundesliga.
You could have avoided all the mistakes very easily if, firstly, you had acted in good time on the transfer market and, secondly, with the self-image of the runner-up and the second force in Germany, you would get the best quality that the buyers don’t commit to.