Nuremberg – Francfort PREVIEW.FC NÜRNBERG

For the recently relegated club, 2014-15 was a disappointment to put it mildly. Ahead of the season, word on the block was that FCN would bounce right back into the top fight; after all, Nürnberg is the most promoted and relegated side in Bundesliga history. It’s only natural
 But after an exodus of players, especially the likes of Josip Drmic, Hiroshi Kiyotake, Daniel Ginczek, and Timmy Chandler, it’s a wonder so much was expected from FCN last season in the Zweite Bundesliga. Really, come one, people. Many new faces – especially Jakub Sylvestr (from Aue) and Alessandro Schöpf (from Bayern) – mingled with burned out topflighers, who stuck it out, like Raphael Schäfer, Javier Pinola, and Jan Polak. What happened?
 A 2014/15 full of inconsistency and table yo-yoing, as you can see in a single chart of Nürnberg’s table position during the entire season: Der Club's 2014-15 season narrative in one chart. (Courtesy of kicker.de) Der Club’s 2014-15 season narrative in one chart. (Courtesy of kicker.de) For the curious, Der Club ended the Hinrunde in 9th place and ended the Rückrunde in 9th place, but not after climbing to 6th or falling to 16th at various points.
Yo-yo, ho. The obvious takeaways were that FCN struggled mightily on the road (16th best league record away), winning 4, drawing 2, and losing 11 (!), all while conceding 30 goals – one of the league’s worst tallies on the road. In terms of goals scored and conceded, FCN scored an average-ish amount (10th most), while conceding an above average amount (6th most). Ergo, conceding goals hurt Der Club. However, I don’t know what triggered this problem, defensively – lack of skill? positioning? transition defense? squad turnover / injuries?
 or bad luck? In sum, given the club’s average-ish scoring output, they need to be playing tighter defense – a formula we’ve seen the likes of FC Köln utilize in their recent return to the top flight. As for playing style, manager René Weiler constantly tinkered with shape and tactics. In general, Nürnberg played through the flanks when going forward, trying to then work the ball to their fairly dangerous attackers, anchored by the excellent play of leading goal-scorer, Sylvestr, and creative force (9 assists), Schöpf. Typically, FCN lacked the ability to play possession ball, opting instead for a balanced give-and-take with opponents. So where are we now? Through the ’80s, Nürnberg held the distinction as Germany’s most decorated domestic club with 9 national titles.
 However, the glory days are generations past. Present reality has meant clinging onto to top flight status and playing hard for the top flight once relegated. The current squad should be longshot promotion candidates as Sylvestr could emerge as one of Bundesliga 2’s best players, while Schöpf’s evolves into one of its better play makers.
 However, defense looms as the big question mark, especially with the surprising departure of veteran and fan-favorite, Pinola. In all likelihood, Nürnberg will spending another consequent seasons in the second flight. 2014-15 Trivia Last season, marked Nürnberg 8th relegation – and 8th return to Bundesliga 2.! – from the top flight, surpassing Armina Bielefeld’s previous record. Money Matters Summary: net -100,000 € (500,000 € earned and 600,000 € spent). Transfers In (600,000 € spent): Rurik Gislason (FC Copenhagen) – 250,000 € Stefan Kutschke (VfL) – 250,000 € Thorsten Kirchbaum (VfB) – 100,000 € Tim Leibold (VfB) – free transfer Kevin Möhwald (Rot-Weiß Erfurt) – free transfer Hanno Behrens (SV Darmstadt) – free transfer Laszlo Sepsi (ASA Tirgu Mures) – free transfer