Football Season Guide

Expectations were high for Kaiserslautern last season but they were unable to sustain a concrete promotion challenge, a lack of consistency and poor form on the road were the contributing factors. Head-coach Lieberknecht will continue in his role despite facing criticism after their timid promotion push, the club believe he is still the man to get them back to the big time. As well as adding former fan favourite Wunderlich as his assistant, Lieberknecht has looked to re-energise his squad with the arrival of many young talents for the upcoming campaign. Central defender Knezevic and winger Tazemeta will be hoping to make their mark from Stuttgart and Dortmund under 19’s respectively while loan signings Kanate and Frees are looking to impress with bright futures predicted. Yardmici is a lively and physical addition to the attack and the permanent signing of Paul Joly at right-back is certainly a positive. Lieberknecht has also promoted 5 academy graduates to the first team so expect a much more youthful looking side. The Red Devils have also maintained the core of their squad so far with captain Richter and star striker Prjatin both still on board, with youthful energy and experience, Kaiserslautern should be a force, especially at home where big numbers are always in attendance. A possible weakness could be leadership and experience in defence, a poor start to the season could also bring unrest and a tough set of opening fixtures will put that to the test.