2. Bundesliga 23/24 Season Preview: Wehen Wiesbaden
Wehen Wiesbaden returns to the 2. Bundesliga after two seasons away. Their relegation from the second division was rather predictable, but the club has done plenty of growing since its absence. For starters, Rüdiger Rehm was replaced by the more experienced Markus Kauczinski, and the squad profile was altered to allow for improved flexibility.
Their promotion campaign in the 3. Liga was impressive, they were involved in an enthralling battle right up until the final matchday of the season. Needing to better Osnabrück’s result, Wiesbaden did their job by beating Halle at home. For at least six minutes Wiesbaden were promoted, until news came through that Osnabrück had scored twice in stoppage time to deny Kauczinski and co their promotion destiny.
Thus the playoffs beaconed.
Wiesbaden wouldn’t miss their opportunity, dismantling an abysmally poor Arminia Bielefeld side 6:1 on aggregate which included a tie breaking 4:0 victory at home.
Now that the return is only a week away, can Wiesbaden make an impact on this 2. Bundesliga?
Team Details
Stadion (Capacity): BRITA-Arena (12,250)
Kit manufacturer: Capelli
Nicknames: N/A
Coach: Markus Kauczinski
Captain: Sascha Mockenhaupt
Signings & Departures
Signings: Antonio Jonjic (Erzgebirge Aue), Amar Catic (ADO Den Haag), Nassim Elourati (Wehen Wiesbaden U19), Martin Angha (Free Agent), Aleksandar Vukotic (SK Beveren), Marcus Mathisen (IK Sirius Football), Keanen Bennetts (SV Darmstadt 98), Hyun-ju Lee (Bayern München II, loan), Amir Farouk (FSV Frankfurt, loan return), Lasse Günther (FC Augsburg)
Departures: Ahmet Gürleyen (1. FC Nürnberg), Brooklyn Ezeh (Hannover 96), Lukas Becker (Kickers Offenbach), Dominik Bauer (FC Eddersheim), Dennis Kempe (retired), Sebastian Mrowca (SC Preußen Münster), Lucas Brumme (without club), Johannes Wurtz (without club), Suheyel Najar (Viktoria Köln)
The challenge of gaining promotion can be retaining the best players in your squad, especially after such a damaging playoff victory. This has been the case for Wiesbaden, especially in defence. Ahmet Gürleyen and the impressive Brooklyn Ezeh head to Nürnberg and Hannover respectively. Both were pivotal in Wiesbaden’s promotion campaign.
But, they have been able to make replacements in that area. Adding Aleksandar Vukotic, Marcus Mathisen and free agent Martin Angha. Keanen Bennetts was part of Darmstadt’s promotion campaign, but seeking regular first team minutes, he’s found a new home in Wiesbaden.
Hyun-ju Lee is someone to keep an eye on, coming from Bayern he looks to provide additional creativity to a side that will happily hit teams on the break.
Potential setup
Wiesbaden are one of the sides that has consistently played with a back three, with variations including a 3-4-3 or a 3-4-1-2. They are a versatile squad that can have control of the game, or sit deep and break teams playing high-lines through counter attacking. The latter could come in handy against Magdeburg, their opening weekend opponents who like to be a ball dominant side.
Their defence is relatively established, we’ve mentioned the departure of Gürleyen and that’s the only major one of note. Florian Carstens, Gino Fechner and club captain Sascha Mockenhaupt make up a solid defensive three. Mockenhaupt is quite versatile and it’s possible we will see him at right-midfield throughout the season as well. Bennetts is likely to be the Ezeh replacement. He possesses similar qualities to Ezeh, very attacking but will need to be present on the defensive end.
Wiesbaden aren’t particularly deep in central midfield, and I expect the same duo to feature that beat Bielefeld in the play-offs in Bjarne Jacobson and Robin Heußer. At number 10, Lee has impressed in preseason and with the system present, he fits well behind the two strikers.
The big talk around the off-season was where will Benedict Hollerbach go? He was unbelievable in the playoffs and 3. Liga last season, and had offers from Union Berlin and 1. FC Köln. Hollerbach could stay in Wiesbaden for the time being, however, I wouldn’t rule out a move. At the time of writing he’s a Wiesbaden player.
In my opinion, Hollerbach isn’t ready for the Bundesliga just yet, even though he has the potential and a season in the 2. Bundesliga would be beneficial. Ivan Prtjin would usually start, but with an injury that has seen him miss a portion of the preseason, this is an excellent opportunity for former Australian U23 John Iredale to stake his claim.
Pre-season Perspective
With Wehen Wiesbaden determined to right the wrongs of their previous endeavour in the 2. Bundesliga. I wanted to find out how the team was feeling heading into the new season. So, I asked current Wiesbaden striker John Iredale about how the team is shaping up for the new season.
“Skip to 32:30” - To hear our conversation.
Predictions
There is a quiet confidence in Wiesbaden heading into the new season. This squad is far better than the one who arrived in the 2. Bundesliga last time out. Yes, they possess players with 2. Bundesliga experience which is a bonus compared to Elversberg. But they also have players who are hungry to showcase their qualities at this level.
Unfortunately, Wiesbaden will be in the relegation battle. Something they are all too familiar with in the 2. Bundesliga. But this isn’t to count them out, they’ve shown against teams at this level they can hold their own.
So.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they produce a couple of giant killings throughout the season.