Season Summary 2017-2017
So, another season flies by. The top scorer of the .2 Bundesliga turned out to be a player who we loaned out at the beginning of the season. We were joint worst-scorers in the league and we lost our rock at the back, Lasse Sobiech to Cologne. But did we enjoy ourselves? Too right. An amazing support throughout the year, along with one of the best away turnouts in the division. It was a typical 'St. Pauli' season really. The team looked deflated towards the end of the campaign, as the .3 Liga stared us in the face once more. Luckily, we kept afloat. Just.
Markus Kauczinski joined us following the departure of Olaf Janssen mid-way through the season. A drop in form prompted this switch, early in December. We were stuck in a rut, lacking in confidence as well as goals. Two heavy back-to-back defeats, our last win under Janssen was the 1st of October. Change was a must as St. Pauli weren't progressing, as they started sliding down the table.
Here are a handful of interesting statistics from the recent 2017/2018 season:
- Sami Allagui's scored an average of 0.16 goals per game. More likely to get booked, than score a goal.
- Holstein Kiel's Marvin Ducksch has scored 18 goals so far this term. St. Pauli, his parent club, only managed to score 35 all season.
- Our top scorers were Allagui, joint with Aziz Bouhaddouz and Christopher Buchtmann, all netting 4 times. Allagui taking the spot of 55th top-scorer in the league.
It wasn't all doom and gloom though. St. Pauli's youthful prospects shone through in the 2017/2018 campaign. Yi-Young Park, a name rarely mentioned until this season has now appeared in 17 league fixtures. The 23-year-old, South Korean recently scored his first professional goal too, nicely slotting home against Arminia Bielefeld. A versatile youngster, who appears to have solidified a place in the first team at right-back. Composed and reliable, Park has had an incredible break-through year at St. Pauli. Only making 2 appearances in the 2016/2017 season, his quality was unknown, but with confidence booming under the watch of Kauczinski, it looks like Park will be confidently eyeing up the same position for seasons to follow.
Big things also came for Richard Neudecker, another adapting, prodigy. The 21-year old had a stunning season at the club. He really blossomed in the second half of the season, scoring 4 and assisting the same amount in 20 appearances. Another player who was given a chance by Kauczinski to really shine. A position change from central-midfield, of which he appeared many times as a substitute in the previous season, to a freer role as a left-midfielder allowed him to be more involved in games. A lot of fans would see Neudecker as their player of the year, which I believe is a more than a fair claim. A real credit to the great season he has had.
Other players worth a mention are Chrstopher Avevor, who has really upped his performance this year. The 26-year-old a lot more stronger and composed on the ball. Robin Himmelmann fought hard for St. Pauli throughout the season. With cat-like reflexes, the first choice goalkeeper had more than a couple games worth noting, retaining valuable points during the struggle. Johannes Flum was a valuable asset in central-midfield, alongside Bernd Nehrig. The pair galvanizing the team in the middle of the park, both controlling the game at their pace.
Don't get me wrong, Mats Daehli, Waldemar Sobota and Christopher Buchtmann were all crucial to the 2017/2018 campaign, but I wanted to highlight those who may not get the recognition they deserve. Notably, the newcomers to the team along with those who have improved from seasons past.
I think if we are to progress looking on, there will have to be some changes made. With Sobiech leaving over the summer St. Pauli should be looking to strengthen that back-line. Another experienced and dominant centre-back will be required to fill the boots of the departing. We will need a lot more goals further up the pitch. I think Allagui has had a very tough season, and that is evident. However, Greek centre-forward, Dimitris Diamantakos has added late on this season with a few goals. It's not enough to keep us afloat though, I think a certified goalscorer is needed. Jan-Marc Schneider another one who will be competing for a place on the front line, but similar to other options, is clearly lacking in consistency. A hole will be left in the midfield where Daehli would be playing. The Norwegian will be returning to parent club, SC Freiburg. His creativity and awareness will need to be replicated. Tough decisions to be made, as the club goes through another summer of ins and outs. Fortunately, not preparing for the .3 Liga though. We'll settle for another season in the .2 Bundesliga.
Let me know your opinions. I'd like to share your thoughts. Who would you select to lead the team for next season? Has Kauczinski done enough to retain his place as manager? Where do you believe the team could be strengthened? And finally, what do we do with Allagui?
Agree with your views, looks like Marvin Knoll is the player who has been signed to replace Lasse Sobiech.
ReplyDeleteWith the midfield Nehrig and Flum were pretty consistent, but with both players in their thirties younger replacements need to be sought. I feel Neudecker will compete with Buchtmann as the player who can pass the ball around. That is one thing I noticed this season, too many sloppy passes when in possesion of the ball.
Up top we certainly need more creativity, and someone who can score regularly.