2. Bundesliga 23/24 Season Preview: VfL Osnabrück
After a two season hiatus, Osnabrück is back in the 2. Bundesliga. Their journey wasn’t conventional but it would be fair to say that the Hollywood script writers wouldn’t have been able to write such a thrilling conclusion to last season.
Heading into the final matchday of the 3. Liga, Osnabrück had destiny in their hands and all they had to do was match the teams below to guarantee their spot in the league. Yet, it wouldn’t be much fun if Osnabrück had done it the easy, falling behind to Borussia Dortmund II and on the brink of failing to even the play-offs as the time struck 90 minutes.
But, one of the craziest endings to a season yet, Osnabrück managed to pull off a miracle with Ba-Muaka Simakala and then Jannes Wulff just two minutes later catapulting die Lila-Weißen back to the second tier.
The goal is simple, and that’s avoiding a yo-yo back to the 3. Liga. But could they be a surprise package like last season's promoted sides.
Team Details
Stadion (Capacity): Stadion an der Bremer Brücke (16,667)
Kit manufacturer: Capelli
Nicknames: die Lila-Weißen (The Purple-Whites)
Coach: Tobias Schweinsteiger
Captain: TBD
Signings & Departures
Signings: Bashkim Ajdini (SV Sandhausen), Dave Gnaase (1. FC Saarbrücken), Lars Kehl (SC Freiburg II), Charalampos Makridis (Jahn Regensburg), Luca Böggemann (VfL Osnabrück U19), Yigit Karademir (VfL Osnabrück U19), Kwasi Wriedt (Holstein Kiel, loan), Maximilian Thalhammer (Jahn Regensburg), Florian Bähr (TSG Hoffenheim), Christian Conteh (Feyenoord Rotterdam), Lennart Grill (Union Berlin, loan), Benas Satkus (FK Banga Gargždai, loan return), Luis Sprekelmeyer (SV Lippstadt 08, loan return), Jannik Zahmel (Blau-Weiß Lohne, loan return)
Departures: Marc Heider (retired), Felix Higl (SSV Ulm), Ba-Muaka Simakala (Holstein Kiel), Luis Sprekelmeyer (SV Meppen), Sven Köhler (Odense BK), Davide Itter (Wuppertaler SV), Laurenz Beckenmeyer (without club), Benas Satkus (without club), Sören Bertram (without club), Omar Traoré (1. FC Heidenheim), Jannik Zahmel (Blau-Weiß Lohne)
Osnabrück has been the busiest of the promoted sides during the transfer window, identifying key areas that need improving to help manager Tobias Schweinsteiger get the most out of their 2. Bundesliga return. However, in spite of the squad being beefed up, can one of the new signings replace the out-going Ba-Muaka Simakala who trades Osnabrück for Holstein Kiel. Simakala was a vital piece to Osnabrücks promotion run, scoring 19 goals which was second best in the 3. Liga.
Coming in is the exciting Christian Conteh, who seeks to restart his career after a tricky spell in the Netherlands and a solid impression at Dynamo Dresden. After being released, Osnabrück won the former St. Pauli over and could be an excellent replacement for Simakala. Just don’t expect that same goal-scoring production. Speaking of additional attacking grunt, Kwasi Wriedt returns after six years, albeit it’s only for a season.
Adding 2. Bundesliga experience was also part of the transfer strategy, adding Maximilian Thalhammer and Charalampos Makridis from Jahn Regensburg. Both produced strong seasons despite succumbing to relegation.
A signing that was surprising, but perhaps showcased the insecurity by Schweinsteiger at the position was goalkeeper. Philipp Kühn has been a consistent force at Osnabrück for many years, but by bringing in Lennart Grill from Union Berlin we have an evenly poised goalkeeping battle.
Potential setup
There is a lot of excitement to see what kind of football Schweinsteiger will produce in his first 2. Bundesliga campaign. Will they play an attacking brand that will please the masses, or could we see a more pragmatic approach in order to protect the defence and limit the dangers many promoted sides face.
We need to figure out who will start in goal? Bringing in a player like Grill who is desperate for first team minutes and to prove more than anything that his rise to the Bundesliga after such a small sample size was no fluke. Kühn is the established force, but I can see Schweinsteiger being attracted to the new goalkeeping option.
Bashkim Ajdini was part of Osnabrücks previous foray in the 2. Bundesliga under Daniel Thioune, and his return provides Schweinsteiger an attacking who plays with aggression and pace. He should start alongside the talented Maxwell Gyamfi, Niklas Wiemann and Florian Kleinhansl.
Dave Gnaase was mightily impressive for Saarbrücken in the 3. Liga, and has earned his opportunity in the 2. Bundesliga. He could potentially make his first start for Osnabrück against Karlsruhe. Thalhammer is a known quantity and I suspect he could start as a number eight alongside Robert Tesche. Both have plenty of 2. Bundesliga experience that will be mightily valuable throughout the season.
Up top, replacing the departed Simakala with Makridis seems most likely whilst Wriedt seems to have won out against Erik Englehardt. The latter scored 11 goals last season in his first campaign with Osnabrück, and could be a good joker for Schweinsteiger. With Conteh potentially missing the start of the season, we finally will get a good look at Noel Niemann. The former Arminia Bielefeld winger never really got to prove himself with the Ostwestfalen club, but found his calling with Osnabrück scoring twice and producing nine assists.
Osnabrück has an interesting mix of players boasting experience and high potential options looking to showcase their abilities at this level.
Fan Perspective
With Osnabrück’s return to the 2. Bundesliga only a few weeks prepares, I wanted to know what the overall feeling of the fan base heading into the campaign. So, I’ve asked German football expert and Osnabrück fan Louis Ostrowski to provide some context and what we could expect from Osnabrück.
MK: What are your hopes for the upcoming season?
LO: The aim is as always just to stay up. That’s the case for most promoted teams, but especially so in Osnabrück. So my hope is safety on the 33rd matchday, and that won’t change even if it looks like more is possible. I don’t think anyone will get carried away; VfL’s last 2. Liga season is a good reminder of how quickly and drastically things can go wrong.
MK: Which summer signing are you most looking forward to seeing play?
LO: Kwasi Okyere Wriedt returned to the club on loan this summer, which is huge. He was top scorer in his previous season in Osnabrück and the team needed better options up front. Lars Kehl was in the 3. Liga team of the year last year, so I’m excited to see him too, and I also have a bit of hope for Christian Conteh, who did really impress for a brief time with St Pauli before making some bad career moves.
MK: Who is one player from Osnabrück fans of the league should keep an eye on?
LO: 2. Liga fans will already be familiar with Robert Tesche, but he might be the most important player in the squad, and might also captain the team this year. Maxwell Gyamfi is probably the hottest property that hasn’t left the club in summer, meanwhile. He’s 23 and hasn’t played at this level before but, bar a few mistakes, was outstanding last year in his first 3. Liga season. I’m expecting him to move on in a year’s time.
MK: Tobias Schweinsteiger was an inspired hiring as he led Osnabrück back to the 2. Bundesliga. What can we expect?
LO: Schweinsteiger was an amazing appointment and I suspect there’s a few 2. Liga clubs who wish they’d have gone for him when they had the chance. Whether he’ll hit the ground running in this league or not we can only guess. It’ll be interesting to see if he sticks with the 4-3-3 played throughout last season, or if we might need to switch to a more conservative style.
MK: Fans should go to the Stadion an der Bremer Brücke this season because?
LO: You should go *if you can*; it won’t be easy getting a ticket at the Bremer Brücke this year. Last year the club had its best 3. Liga attendance figures ever, season tickets for this year sold out instantly, and because both of the last two seasons at this level were COVID-affected, demand will be higher than ever. It’s always a great atmosphere and that does rub off on the players, it’s a stadium with lots of character, and it’s a lot more fun than going to a half empty, generic stadium in the middle of nowhere.
MK: Where do you think Osnabrück will finish this season?
LO: I’d take 15th place, so I’ll say 15th place. It won’t be smooth at all, I predict there’ll be at least one month where we look like a top half team, and at least one month where we’re the worst in the league by a mile. But I think Schweinsteiger can keep this team up.
Predictions
As Louis summed up perfectly, 15th place will do and that’s fair enough. Expectations for all three promoted will be to avoid going straight back down. Osnabrück have made some nifty moves in the window to invoke confidence and the fact they are a strong home force at the Stadion an der Bremer Brücke should bode well for the new season.
At their best, they could be a mid-table which would be over and above what will be expected of Osnabrück. Worst case scenario this will be temporary accommodation as they return to the 3. Liga.
In what will be Schweinsteiger’s biggest challenge as a manager, we will see what his individual quality is from a tactical and personal standpoint. There is a real excitement to see another coach get their chance to shine.