2. Bundesliga 23/24 Season Preview: Hansa Rostock

With a new season on the horizon, Hansa Rostock will be aiming to put a turbulent 2022/23 season behind them. One in which it seemed almost inevitable that Hansa Rostock would be relegated to the 3. Liga, but the emergence of Alois Schwartz as their saviour proved to be a pivotal shift in the clubs fortunes. This saw Hansa win five of their final six games of the season to secure safety and end the campaign in 13th.

So.

As last season turns into a memory, the point of emphasis will be to avoid the mistakes of the past. Doing so could help Hansa move towards mid-table stability and more importantly, establishing themselves as a main stayer in the 2. Bundesliga for years to come.

Let’s take a look at how Hansa is shaping up and what the outlook for the up-coming campaign looks like.

Team Details

Stadion (Capacity): Ostseestadion (29,000)

Kit manufacturer: Mizuno

Nicknames: Hansa, Hanseaten, Kogge,Hansa-Kogge, Ostseestädter

Coach: Alois Schwartz

Captain: Markus Kolke

Signings & Departures

Signings: Serhat-Semih Güler (Wuppertaler SV), Oliver Hüsing (Arminia Bielefeld), Janik Bachmann (SV Sandhausen), Alexander Rossipal (Waldholf Mannheim), Sebastian Vasiliadis (Arminia Bielefeld), Salomon Patrick Amougou Nkoa (Rot-Weiß Erfurt), Christian Kinsombi (SV Sandhausen), Sarpreet Singh (Bayern München II) Elias Höftmann (Hansa Rostock U19), Joshua Krüger (Hansa Rostock U19), Milosz Brzozowski (Hansa Rostock U19)

Departures: Lukas Fröde (FC Ingolstadt 04), Dong-gyeong Lee (Ulsan Hyundai, end of loan), Anderson Lucoqui (1. FSV Mainz 05, end of loan), Rick van Drongelen (Union Berlin, end of loan), Ryan Malone (FC Ingolstadt 04), Haris Duljevic (out of contract), Ridge Munsy (out of contract), Maurice Litka (retired), Fredric Ananou (Sint-Truidense V.V.), Pascal Breier (Hansa Rostock II)

It’s been a busy transfer window for Hansa who are looking to become a much more potent attacking force. A signing that has caught the eye is Christian Kinsombi from SV Sandhausen. Kinsombi was one of the bright lights in a relegation season, scoring six goals and producing five assists, a career best in his second full season in the 2. Bundesliga. The 23-year-old brings pace, technical ability and familiarity, as one of his coaches during his time at Sandhausen is current Rostock manager Schwartz.

Hansa’s biggest area of change seems to be at the defensive end with four of the departed nine players playing a role in the back four at some stage last season. Lukas Fröde is a big loss in midfield, but being unable to sign Rick van Drongelen on a permanent deal is a crushing blow to the defence that improved mightily with his addition. What’s worse, is RvD could play an important role for another 2. Bundesliga pushing for promotion. Whether the returning Oliver Hüsing can fill the void left by the Dutchman will be important, considering Hüsing’s extremely disappointing previous campaign with Arminia Bielefeld.

Potential setup

With plenty of new faces making their way to Rostock this season, what can we expect come matchday 1 against Nürnberg?

Under Schwartz, Hansa have tended to play with a back three with a five man midfield, offering enough protection against stronger teams whilst providing enough width to break teams on the break. Defensively, the unit will remain relatively the same with familiar faces in Damian Roßbach and Thomas Meißner becoming stalwarts under Schwarz. The addition of Hüsing is an interesting one, nobody can deny his season in Bielefeld was poor, thus, this campaign is a redemption arc for him.

With the additions of Janik Bachmann, Christian Kinsmobi, Sarpreet Singh and Sebastian Vasiliadis, competition for spots in midfield will be tough. The established Dennis Dressel is undoubtedly one of the first names on the team sheet, which leaves the likes of Simon Rhein to fight it out with the aforementioned Bachmann and Vasiliadis. Hasna certainly needs at least another addition to the wider areas. Kevin Schumacher was strong playing on the left, as was Nico Neidhart who can play both wings. Svante Ingelsson had a great season before injury put an end to his campaign, someone who expect will start on the opening weekend.

In attack, the biggest improvement must be made. Last season, Hansa managed 32 goals from 34 matches. Equal worst with their opening match opponents Nürnberg. Kai Pröger and Lukas Hinterseer combined well together under Schwartz, they still have John Verhoek whose last two campaigns have been polar opposites to each other. Serhat-Semih Güler brings plenty of goal scoring experience from the Regionalliga, but with an ageing attack, does this collective of forwards provide enough to push Hansa forward?

I’m not so sure.

Taking a look at the previous lineups run by Schwartz and accessing what Hansa could shape up as come matchday 1, Hüsing and the familiarity of Bachmann seem the obvious candidates to start for Rostock. Both bring experience and a strong defensive mindset, Bachmann offers versatility in midfield that will complement Dressel’s style. The likes of Kinsombi, Vasiliadis and Singh will certainly play big roles throughout the season.

Fan Perspective

With Hansa Rostock heading into their third consecutive 2. Bundesliga campaign, I wanted to know what the feeling was within the fan base. I asked passionate Hansa fan “J” to discuss her thoughts heading into the new season.

MK: What are your hopes for the upcoming season?

J: My hopes primarily lie in securing our Klassenerhalt (safety) as soon as possible and hopefully not experiencing a moment like last season where the threat of relegation suddenly loomed so close to us. I hope that our new players integrate well into the existing team and that the team exudes the fighting spirit and determination that I love about Hansa Rostock.

On the fans' side, I hope that we stand out through our outstanding support and not through a multitude of fines, acts of destruction, and discriminatory behaviour. I love Hansa and hope that together, as fans and team, we will give everything to push our team towards securing the Klassenerhalt. (Also hope for more goals than last season…)

MK: Which summer signing are you most looking forward to seeing play?

J: It’s hard choosing just one! I'm very excited about Oliver Hüsing, whom I've admired as a crucial key in our game during his previous years at Hansa. I understood his decision to join Bielefeld last season from a football and financial perspective, but it really saddened my fan heart.

I'm still hopeful for the signing of Rick van Drongelen and would be some happy about Hüsing playing next to RvD, that would be a huge upgrade for us. Therefore, I hope Hüsing can make up for his last season in Bielefeld, settle in well with us, and provide us with many great games to enjoy.

I'm particularly excited about Christian Kinsombi because, as Hansa fans, we know firsthand about his dangerous style in front of the goal. As well as Sarpreet Singh who had impressive moments with Jahn Regensburg over the last couple of years.

However, like Hüsing, they’ve also experienced relegation last season, so I'm cautiously hopeful and anticipating how these guys will process their experiences from last season and hopefully make a strong start with us. Since next season will be about Klassenerhalt as well, we need players who can fight for this goal with all they have.

MK: Who is one player from Hansa Rostock fans of the league should keep an eye on?

J: I'm looking forward to Dennis Dressel’s development in the upcoming season, because I really admire his game awareness and his unwavering determination to work on himself. With each game, he becomes more dangerous in front of goal as we saw with his incredible volley against Hannover last season. Dressel has even been entrusted with the role of captain during preparations. It wouldn't surprise me if he becomes a key factor in our team's performance in the upcoming season.

MK: What are your impressions of Alois Schwartz after his work from last season?

J: Alois Schwartz quickly understood what defines the identity of Hansa Rostock in the past season: passion and dedication. He shaped the team in a way that ensured our survival in the league and also relied on players like Hinterseer, whose contributions were not always understood by the fans but proved to be incredibly important for securing our league status.

He understood that John Verhoek wasn’t the right player for this task and gave Hinterseer a shot which really was the right decision in the end. I will always be grateful for his accomplishment in this monumental task. However, for the upcoming season, I hope that he incorporates more creativity and new game ideas in the offensive aspect of the team, rather than relying solely on established methods, so other teams won’t get used to our formation of the team.

I also hope that he gives more opportunities to young players for their development, which wasn’t the case under Härtel. Nevertheless, I have confidence in Schwartz and believe he is the right coach for Hansa Rostock in this phase.

MK: Fans should go to the Ostseestadion this season because?

J: The Ostseestadion is an institution in itself, and fans don't need to be told twice to support our team. The 2. Liga will be a blast with teams like Hertha or Schalke, and we should give our team full support to secure our league status as quickly as possible. The Ostseestadion holds a special place for supporters, and our passion and dedication can make a significant impact on the team's performance.

With exciting matches against strong opponents, such as Hertha and Schalke, it's important for fans to rally behind our team and provide them with the full force of our support. By creating our individual energetic atmosphere in the Ostseestadion, we can motivate the players and help them give their best on the field. Our collective support will be crucial in achieving the Klassenerhalt.

MK: Where do you think Hansa Rostock will finish this season?

J: I'm not quite sure where we will end up this season. I believe we will be in the mid-table for most part of the season and most likely finish somewhere around 10th to 12th place. And you know what? That's perfectly fine with me! We are currently in a phase where our priority should be stabilising ourselves in the 2.Liga, and that's what matters most.

Predictions

Last season was quite different from Hansa’s first in the 2. Bundesliga, change and a loss of identity almost saw the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern side relegated. I foresee similarities to last season, Hansa want to establish themselves in the mid-table and avoid any threat of relegation. They’ve been very busy within the transfer window like last season, but only a few signings managed to make a difference for Hansa.

The big question is manager Schwartz, two seasons ago he saved Sandhausen from the depths of relegation, turning them into one of the best defences in the Rückrunde. However, last season Sandhausen were a complete mess and their biggest strengths became their weaknesses. Can Schwartz avoid repeating that in Rostock?

I foresee Hansa once again in the bottom six but doing just enough to survive once again.