As I entered the January Transfer Window in the second season, I honestly would not have anticipated what would happen in the second half of this season. The title of this blog should give some hint as to what the outcome of the season was. Happy but disappointed would probably sum it up.
A DEEPER SCHADE OF BLUE
The above Steps song comes to mind when I think about how the January transfer window began for us. I had already anticipated Kevin Schade’s departure when I started to see the list of interested teams grow. It was Atlético Madrid that triggered his £20.5m release clause and left me feeling so blue. He left for Diego Simeone’s Atléti having scored 19 goals in 22 games this season (15 in 16 apps in the Bundesliga).
Knowing this would be an inevitability rather than a possibility, I had already earmarked an ideal replacement. Gabriel Vidović came in on loan from Bayern Munich just two days after Schade’s departure. It was a loan until the end of the season but with a £30m option to buy attached. Vidović was a shining star for my Mallorca side of FM22 and I was keen to see if he would be just as capable this year.
Vidović was joined on loan by a fellow Bayern II and Mallorca FM22 player in Lovro Zvonarek. Zvonarek did not spend just as much time with me in FM22 so I was hoping to see more of him this time around. He would merely be an option to begin with, competing with Röhl and Nico for a midfield slot, but Bayern’s surprisingly low option to buy of just £11.5m meant that I was looking further ahead than just this season.
I felt my business was done but the new Freiburg president was keen for me to spend more of my original transfer budget. With that in mind, I pounced for another future star who I had been keeping tabs on for the last six months. You will be shocked to know that they were not with me in FM22… but they did come from our Bavarian friends. Arijon Ibrahimovic has plenty to offer already at just 18 years old but he will begin his Freiburg career with out II team in the 3.Liga. £6m feels like an absolute steal for the young Ibra (no relation to the obvious, as far as I can tell).
We’ll begin with the DFB Pokal. There was no repeat of our Third Round dip last season as Union Berlin were swept aside with ease. Bochum was as easy as it should have been before we fought hard to overcome Hoffenheim and send ourselves through to the DFB Pokal final! I think me reaching a final so quickly in FM is quite unheard of…
And what? You thought the fairytales were going to stop there?!
AEK twice took the lead in our first leg before Vidović’s hattrick in the second leg provided easy pass through to the Quarter Final. I was actually delighted to even still be in the tie after the first leg away to Sevilla, Vidović’s solitary goal in the second leg sending us through to the Semi Final.
It was at this point I got complacent. I thought Ferencváros would be an absolute gift. We did well to come away at 1-1 in the first leg. Things went much more as I expected in the second leg as we steam rolled our way to a second final of the season!
Do fairytales come in threes? No but they say that bad luck does.
January in the league got off to an awful start with just one point from a possible nine. Vidović had not yet found his feet as you’ve seen above and I was starting to wonder if he’d be up to the task. February started not much better before a Vidović double against Leipzig finally set him off.
In March, I got to read the very much not-sought-after “stars count cost of refund” inbox item after a complete collapse against Bayern. It was a return to the consistency of inconsistency that we’re used to as draw after win after loss occurred.
To finish the season with just 5 wins from the final 17 games feels like an absolute disaster. Thus the slip began.
The Olympiastadion (Berlin) was the setting for our first final of the save - the 2024 DFB Pokal Final. What followed was absolute torture.
For the vast majority of the first half Freiburg were actually the better side. Creating plenty of chances but just not getting the vital touch at the end. Lukas Nmecha’s opener came on the cusp of half time but I did not at all feel like the game was slipping from us. How wrong I was.
Wolfsburg were dominant from the off in the second half and when Patrick Wimmer put them 3-0 up I simply made the decision to start resting my first choice key players. With five changes made, the rhythm was well and truly gone from us and Wolfsburg struck a further three times in the final 10 minutes to hand us our second 6-0 defeat of the season - to which the stars did indeed count the cost of the refund again.
There was no time to sulk as just four days later we made the trip from Berlin to Vienna where the Ernst-Happel-Stadion was the setting for Freiburg’s first ever European final - the UEFA Europa Conference League. Southampton would be the opposition - The Saints, having avoided relegation from England’s top flight by 2 points, hoping to put some shine on an otherwise lacklustre season.
Wout Weghorst was the top goalscorer in the competition to date and he would be my undoing in the final also. His 19th minute goal coming thanks to an error at the back by full back Killian Sildillia. Wout Weghorst and his 6’6” frame are every bit of the sort of player I love to sign - a pure physical behemoth.
I’d love to say we fought back with all we had but in all honesty we offered very little over the 90 minutes, the only real positive from this game being that we didn’t lose 6-0.
Three bites at the cherry to secure European football for the next season and three times we came up short - always the bridesmaid, never the bride.
STILL TALKING ABOUT SCHADE
Despite leaving in January, Kevin Schade was our top league goalscorer with 15 goals in his 16 league appearances. Gabriel Vidović ended the season as our top goalscorer overall with 21 goals in his 25 appearances (8 Bundesliga, 4 DFB Pokal, 9 Europe) - 2 more than the man he replaced.
Merlin Röhl was the most creative player in the side as he continues to develop within the midfield two. He registered 12 assists along with his 12 goals in all competitions. That’s two more assists than the next highest of Woo-yeong Jeong.
Mark Flekken continued to be our first choice between the sticks (sorry, I know, I hate that saying too). He made 49 appearances, conceding 57 goals but keeping 18 clean sheets. He even managed to grab himself an assist this season! Felix Gebhardt made 6 appearances as back up, conceding 6 goals and keeping 2 clean sheets.
HAVE WE PEAKED ALREADY?
I certainly hope not! There will be no European football next season which means I can concentrate on the league and cup, the reverse of that is that we won’t have as much lead to swing when it comes to attracting new players.
An indicative transfer budget of £47m and around £150k/week wiggle room in the wage budgets means that we have plenty of bank to use if we box smart. The loans of Vidović (£30m), Zvonarek (£11.5m) and Nico (£22.5m) are due to end and decisions need to be made on their option to buy clauses If I work things right we can stretch to signing two of them but certainly not all three.
Season Three incoming - dare I say it could be the best one yet..?