Football Season Guide

Hamburger SV's proud record of having featured in every single season of the Bundesliga since its inception was almost broken last season with the club managing to avoid relegation only on away goals after both of their relegation play-off games against Greuther Furth ended in draws. Hamburg played under three different coaches last season, with Thorsten Fink sacked in September while his successor Bert van Marwijk lasted for just five months in the job. Mirko Slomka took over from van Marwijk but the former Schalke and Hannover coach struggled to get his side firing, managing to win just thrice in the final 15 games of the season. Defense was a glaring weakness for Hamburg under all three coaches and the club ended the season with the worst defense in the top three tiers of German football, conceding 75 goals. Slomka has tried to address the problem by signing three defensive minded players, with Johan Djourou converting his loan into a permanent move from Arsenal while Matthias Ostrzolek and Valon Behrami have also been signed from Augsburg and Napoli. Michael Mancienne, Zhi Gin Lam and Dennis Aogo have all left the club though it will be Hakan Calhanoglu's departure that will hit Hamburg the hardest. Calhanoglu was one of the few bright spots for Hamburg last season, with the attacking midfielder scoring 11 goals and creating four more but has since completed a move to Bayer Leverkusen. Hamburg have quickly acted to sign Pierre-Michel Lasogga on a permanent basis with the striker emerging as the top scorer last season with 14 goals. However question mark remains over Lasogga's fitness with the striker missing almost half of last season with injuries, though should Hamburg manage to keep him fit, then Lasogga will once again prove to be the key player for the club. Hamburg have also boosted their attack by signing Nicolai Muller with the striker playing a crucial role in Mainz's excellent form last season that saw them secure a Europa League spot. Despite the signings, Hamburg remain weak in the defense and more reinforcements are necessary if Hamburg are to avoid another battle near the bottom of the table this season.