Welcome back to Düsseldorf, where Frank Athlete’s ever-improving managerial skills have led the Fortunen to mid-table safety in the Bundesliga, as the side now plot their goals and objectives for the new season ahead. Frank’s had six months to get to grips with his squad now, and has a busy transfer window ahead as he looks to strengthen in several key areas. Let’s dive in…
Season Summary
Team: Fortuna Düsseldorf
Division: Bundesliga
Season: 2028/29
Players in: Alexis Trouillet, Brest (€13.75M); Stefan Lekovic, Man City (€10.25M); Charlie Setford, Sparta Rotterdam (€3M); Giuliano Bontempo, AC Milan (€1.8M); Pascal Wagner, RB Leipzig (€6.75M); Harun Soylu, Basaksehir FK (€800K)
Players out: Lennart Czyborra, VfL Wolfsburg (€5.75M); Christoph Klarer, 1.FC Koln (€2.5M); Mohamad Ali Ben Romdhane, Al-Gharafa (€3.6M)
Romdhane’s departure in April had left a big hole in the centre of midfield, which the team coped with through to the end of the season, but would definitely need filling over the course of the Summer. Czyborra (DL) and Klarer (DC) both wanted more first team football and so their departures were also sanctioned early in the window to free up funds for new recruits. Beyond replacing the vacant positions, there were two additional objectives for this transfer window. The first was to look at bringing in young players that could take over from their much older counterparts who would inevitably be planning their retirement in the next year or two. The second was to try improve on the personnel we had in the squad, rather than just buying players to make up the numbers.
Starting in goal, both keepers at the club are getting on and only Kastenmeier is really good enough to play in the Bundesliga. In comes familiar face Charlie Setford who Athlete had bought while at Sparta Rotterdam, and as his understudy, Harun Soylu joins at just 19 years old to take over in the future. At the back, Lekovic joins from City to provide competition for a starting spot and DC, while Pascal Wagner is also one for the future, but will definitely feature in some of the cup games as well. At full back, Bontempo joins form Milan to provide back up to January’s new recruit, Hadjam.
The final area of concern is the AMR position where we lack real quality. The scouting team seemed unable to find a suitable candidate for this position, but did eventually land on Trouillet who, although only natural at central midfield, possessed all the necessary attributes to flourish as a right winger. Within just a few short weeks, he would become natural in this position too, thus proving the point for Frank.
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The 2028/29 season kicked off with a First Round DFB Pokal match against CfR Pforzheim. Despite fielding some of the less experienced players, the result was a thumping 7-0 victory which booked a Second Round tie against SpVgg Greuther Furth in October.
With a bounce in their stride, the team looked ahead to the first league game of the new season, a home tie against Hamburger SV. Despite their optimism, Hanburg comfortably despatched them 4-1, which was then followed by a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen, and a disappointing 1-0 loss to local rivals Borussia Monchengladbach. Three consecutive defeats in the league was enough to see Dusseldorf languish at the foot of the table as we headed into September.
With a week off for the international fixtures, the Fortunen bounced back with a nice 3-1 victory against SV Werder in their next game, before another defeat followed, this time at the hands of Bayern Munich. Despite a disappointing start, things would improve in the coming weeks with just one more defeat in their next eight games, along with five draws and two wins (including a win at home to RB Leipzig), to see them climb up to 13th place. In amongst those results was also a Second Round DFB Pokal win to tee up a Third Round fixture against Bayern Munich at the end of January.
Across the four remaining games of 2028, Dusseldorf were unable to bag a single goal, taking just one point in the process after a bore draw away to Hertha Berlin. Some serious work was needed over the Winter Break to get the team back on track, and working toward a mid-table finish. With the transfer window also reopening, the other challenge for Frank and his team to overcome would be to keep hold of their best players, with Burak Ince and Omar Rekik attracting attention in particular.
Furthermore to the team’s poor performances, the Board (and the Press) were quick to criticise Frank’s playing style. They were still insisting on playing defensively solid, direct, counter attacking football, which was proving hard to implement in a way that ensured victories at the same time. Despite his frustrations, Frank had expressed a desire to get the playing style right and so with a few tweaks to the tactic, we could expect to see some changes when the Bundesliga returned in January.
Unfortunately, as the season resumed, so too did Dusseldorf’s abysmal form. Four more defeats in their next five league games, save for another bore draw, this time at home to Bayer Leverkusen. Defeat in the Third Round of the DFB Pokal brought their cup campaign to an end as well, and it was clear to see that morale in the dressing room was at an all time low as they prepared to face Borussia Dortmund at home in the next match.
In fact, this fixture would prove to be the catalyst in a sensational run over the next few games. Having taken the lead against Dortmund, and then been pegged back a few minutes later, the team were able to see out the result, despite playing the second half with only 10 men after Joshua Zirkzee was given his marching orders in the 43rd minute. This performance seemed to awaken something in the squad, with four consecutive wins coming in their next four games against Hannover 96, VfL Wolfsburg, Hoffenheim and FC St. Pauli. These victories were enough to see the team climb from 17th up to 14th, a position they would hold for the remainder of the season.
Back to back defeats in the last two games of March was a minor set back, with the team going on to suffer just one more defeat of the season against Frankfurt, bagging two more wins against Mainz and Freiburg, and a couple of draws as well. In the end, the side finished in 14th with three more points than last year (37 points), a little behind where they’d hoped to be, but with a lot of potential for the next campaign if they can start well. The new recruits should be well settled now and that experience as a group could prove invaluable.
Results Overview
DFB-Pokal
Prediction: Second Round
Actual: Third Round
Summary: The Board were looking for us to reach the Second Round this year, and with the First Round draw being kind, it looked a certainty that we’d get that far, if not further. A cup win is a long way off for us but it’s good to keep doing well and improving each year.
Best moment: Although we won the First Round 7-0, the highlight for me was the Second Round win against SpVgg Greuther Furth which we did with great game management.
Low moment: Of course we were expected to lose to Bayern Munich in the Third Round, but I did hope for a little cup magic and thought we might get some as it was 1-0 for most of the match, with them adding their second in the 93rd minute.
Bundesliga
Prediction: 15th
Actual: 14th
Summary: A fairly disappointing season overall, with long spells of consecutive defeats leading to a very average league position come season’s end. The inconsistency in performances is probably the most frustrating thing, and is what needs working on most.
Best moment: The 1-1 draw against Dortmund was a real highlight, having seen out the match with only 10 men, and then teeing us up to go on a five game unbeaten streak!
Low moment: Prior to that Dortmund result, the team had gone 10 games without a win, and had only managed to score seven goals in the process, conceding 24. That kind of form is relegation level and we never want to be int hat position again.
Facts and Figures
Bundesliga football is definitely proving challenging from a financial standpoint, with the club continuing to manage debts of over €4.5M each season. That said, it’s a slight improvement on where we were a year ago, and if we can recruit well then we should be able to generate some profit from player sales as well. It’s a fine line between maintaining our ambition on the pitch, and selling the right players at the right time for the long-term health of the club. This is something i’ve never been every good at but i think it’s a necessity for Dusseldorf in the enxt few years.
In terms of statistics, we were almost identical to last season in the end. Below average in every metric apart from shots on target, with our ratio increasing to 49.63 (10% better than the league average). Defensively, we were slightly improved too, increasing our clearances, blocks, interceptions, tackles won and tackles attempted, while also reducing our fouls and goals conceded.
In attack, we were worse and therein lies the problem for us. We scored less goals, committed more fouls, completed less crosses and had substantially less shots compared to last year’s figures. Despite the downturn, there were small improvements in terms of pass completion, dribbles made and the shots on target ratio, but attack will be an area we need to dramatically improve on next year.
Around the Grounds
In this section we share some of the other stories from elsewhere in the FM universe that have caught the eye this week…
Boats Go Bang - La Plata: Vice - FM Grasshopper returns with a captivating update from the world of Bastardo, and perhaps a hint at where he might go next?
North meets South - Portland Timbers bring Samba to MLS - FM Eadster provides his long awaited summary of Season 2 with the Portland Timbers. What a journey it’s been!
Valores Familiares – 4 – Time Will Tell - FM Stag brings us the fourth instalment in his Valores Familiares series as his Colo Colo side complete their second season in Chile
Fogão – Episode 2 – The Meaning of Glory - Rocksend FM shares the latest from Botafogo, along with a few insights into how he manages the squad long term.
It’s Only Estonia Throw Away - A Build a Nation Save - DGear86 returns with an update from June 2025 as he attempts to build Estonia into a major footballing nation.
Casual Calcio #4 - Of A Revolution And ‘What If’-Questions - Oaky FM shares an update on how Jens Richter’s Catania side have fared in their second season back in Serie A.
Do you have a blog that’s missing from the above list? Please send me the link on Twitter so I can have a read.
Thanks for reading this update, I really hope you enjoyed it. You’ll find more updates from me, as well as blogs from some other fantastic writers at CoffeehouseFM so make sure you check them out. Feel free to leave a comment below, or you can message me @fm_athlete if you feel like getting in touch.
Thanks for coming. I've been FM Athlete. You've been ‘seeking out a long ball over the top’. See you next time.