Football Season Guide

Freiburg did very well last season and though they fell away in the second half of the year can still be very proud of the campaign. They even earned silverware of sorts as Cisse won the top scorer award but even more remarkable is the fact they have not yet sold their star striker. Despite several large offers the club have managed to resist but keeping him beyond the close of the transfer window in August could be a big challenge indeed. He scored goal after goal last campaign and if sold now it is far from certain new signing Dembele will be an adequate replacement. Toprak and Pouplin - though he was injured for most of last season - are notable losses from the squad but with very little transfer activity in the first team it will be hoped the level of last season can be maintained. However, it is a general rule in football that if not moving forwards you are moving backwards and with manager Robin Dutt departed for bigger and better things, previous second team manager Marcus Sorg has a big step up to make. He has to adapt very quickly and if not Freiburg could well sink into the relegation battle if they do not make a good start to the campaign.