2. Bundesliga 23/24 Season Preview: SC Paderborn 07
Paderborn over the last couple of seasons has flirted with promotion, but, for one reason or another the North-Rhine Westphalian side has been unable to find their way into the top three. That desire for football has been enhanced once again as Paderborn aims to produce a complete season.
In the last campaign, Paderborn were untouchable for periods, starting the season with a 0:5 demolition of Karlsruher SC and 7:2 home victory against Holstein Kiel. In spite of this, Paderborn ended the hinrunde on the back of a four game losing run, and that put an end to their assault.
Promotion is firmly on the minds of players, coaching staff and the Paderborn fans. The question is, in what will be one of the toughest 2. Bundesliga season, can they overcome their inevitable mid-season collapse to rise above and make their Bundesliga return for the first time since 2019.
Let’s find out.
Team Details
Stadion (Capacity): Home Deluxe Arena (15,000)
Kit manufacturer: Saller
Nicknames: N/A
Coach: Lukas Kwasniok
Captain: Jannik Huth
Signings & Departures
Signings: Max Kruse (Free Agent), Laurin Curda (TSG Balingen), Kimberly Ezekwem (SC Freiburg), Adriano Grimaldi (1. FC Saarbrücken), Mattes Hansen (FC Schalke 04), David Kinsombi (SV Sandhausen), Maximilian Rohr (Hamburger SV, loan made permanent), Arne Schulz (Arminia Bielefeld), Visar Musliu (FC Ingolstadt 04), Marcel Mehlem (SV Sandhausen, loan return), Jesse Tugbenyo (SC Verl, loan return), Johannes Dörfler (Waldhof Mannheim, loan return), Justus Henke (Wuppertaler SV, loan return), Filip Bilbija (Hamburger SV)
Departures: Jonas Carls (Waldhof Mannheim), Bashir Humphreys (Chelsea, end of loan), Uwe Hünemeier (retired), Julian Justvan (TSG Hoffenheim), Marvin Pieringer (FC Schalke 04, end of loan), Ron Schallenberg (FC Schalke 04), Moritz Schulze (Hallescher SC), Dennis Srbeny (Greuther Fürth), Robin Bornmouth (Karlsruher SC), Richard Tachie (1. FC Kaiserslautern)
There’s been a significant overhaul of the squad heading into the 2023/24 season in Paderborn. The most significant departures this transfer window are club captain Ron Schallenberg to rivals Schalke, Julian Justvan moving to Hoffenheim and Marvin Pieringer not returning and eventually joining Heidenheim. Schallenberg has been a stalwart of Paderborn’s midfield under Lukas Kwasniok, and his departure is a massive loss.
Those arriving to Paderborn are a real mix of characters offering a mix of youthful exuberance and experience. David Kinsombi joins after a one year stint in Sandhausen, he’s not a Schallenberg replacement but provides plenty of creativity and attacking prowess. Maximilian Rohr had an excellent season on loan and with the Uwe Hünemeier retiring and Bashir Humphreys returning to Chelsea, it was mightily important to bring Rohr back.
The most surprising move of the summer was Max Kruse choosing Paderborn. Kruse has been a free agent since November, and at 34 he’s in the twilight of his career. In a system that encourages creative, attacking football this could be the ideal partnership for Kruse and Paderborn.
Potential setup
Lukas Kwasniok faces several selection dilemmas heading into their opening match against Greuther Fürth. The defence saw constant change last season with the likes of Jasper van der Werff and Marcel Hoffmeier being relative regulars. However, van der Wirff has been on the outer for a while and it seems unlikely he will be able to reclaim his spot in the starting 11. I can see Jannis Heuer, Maximilian Rohr and Tobias Müller starting matchday one in defence.
In midfield, selection seems more simple. Kai Flefisch made a strong impression late in the season, and with Schallenberg’s departure, Klefisch makes a compelling case to be a first team regular. David Kinsombi is an obvious choice to join Klefisch in midfield after a strong season in Sandhausen. The quandary is how to implement Max Kruse and Florent Muslija, the latter was superb last season scoring 10 goals and six assists playing behind the two forwards or on the left. To fit Kruse in, there is a situation where Muslija plays frequently on the left this season.
Up top, with Felix Platte likely to not be 100% fit. It’s likely we will see Sirlord Conteh and Robert Leipertz leading the line. Conteh is an excellent option when Paderborn opt to play counter attacking football, his quickness is a real asset and last season we only saw a glimpse of his potential.
Fan Perspective
The ambitions of Paderborn are extremely high, but what do the fans think? I asked host of the SC Paderborn 07 English podcast Mathias to give me the lowdown on what he’s expecting for his club this season.
MK: What are your hopes for the upcoming season?
Mathias: Promotion. It’s one word that has been uttered for the last few seasons, even with Lukas Kwasniok saying that promotion was a possibility last season, but we’ve been let down by bad stretches (usually at the end of the Hinrunde). It’ll be made tougher with the loss of our captain Ron Schallenberg, but after 9th, 7th and 6th in our last three seasons, 2023-24 could be the year we push on for a shot at promotion.
MK: Which summer signing are you most looking forward to seeing play?
Mathias: You all might be expecting me to say a high-profile striker (more on him later) but I’m going to say David Kinsombi. He was a shining light for Sandhausen last season and is a solid midfielder in his own right, but he chips in with goals and assists too. He’s a motor and someone we dearly need in the midfield, especially after losing Schallenberg and Julian Justvan.
MK: Who is one player from Paderborn fans of the league should keep an eye on?
Mathias: It’s got to be Max Kruse. You just don’t know what you’re going to get from him in the year of 2023, the 35-year-old has been moving around the last few seasons and Paderborn fans should be hoping he finds a home in Paderborn. He’s proven, a leader in the dressing room and has scored more Bundesliga goals than Paderborn have ever scored in their history, and we hope that he can shoot us into the top division with his experience. We also hope he doesn’t miss training sessions halfway through the season.
MK: Fans should go to the Home Deluxe Arena this season because?
Mathias: We’ve won more than we’ve lost in the past three seasons, and nothing is suggesting that will stop anytime soon. It’s not the sexiest stadium or the loudest, but it’s our own and we love it. Away from the atmosphere, we’re easy on the eye. We play good football with Lukas Kwasniok being a little more pragmatic than former manager and current Köln boss Steffen Baumgart, and a promotion push is probable. You should also go because I’ll be there regularly this season, and don’t be scared to say hello!
MK: Where do you think Paderborn will finish this season?
Mathias: I never want to predict us to be promoted because of the old jinx stuff, so I won’t. I do think we have a chance, this 2. Bundesliga is looking difficult though (when is it not, but like Hertha, Schalke, and Hamburg could easily be 1-2-3 with their club sizes). Paderborn will be low-key, going about their business without a Topspiel game all season.
Their collapse around November and December was loud, and ultimately was the reason we weren’t with a chance of promotion last season. If we are a little more consistent all season round (Darmstadt showed how to do it) then we have a real shot. I think we could just miss out, though. This league is really competitive, and you have to be really good to go up.
Predictions
Paderborn's ambitions are high, but are they achievable?
They have a strong squad, but it's not as good as the 22/23 edition. Schallenberg, Justvan and Pieringer were massive pieces to the Paderborn puzzle, and, whilst the replacements are still solid, I don't think they will be in a position to challenge for a top 3. Teams like Schalke, Hertha and Hamburg all have flaws but are less prevalent than Paderborn.
This isn't to say Paderborn can't challenge, but I can see them finishing inside the top six without making the playoffs for promotion.