Although staying in the league is still mathematically possible, Darmstadt 98’s time in the Bundesliga will end after this season. Relegation is the acknowledgment of a potpourri of mistakes and inadequacies. It had to happen this way.
On Saturday evening, Torsten Lieberknecht was not yet ready to discuss the reasons for Darmstadt 98’s approaching relegation. A few minutes after the final whistle, the 4-0 disgrace in the basement duel at 1. FSV Mainz 05 was completely understandable, the emotions and thoughts have to be sorted out in such a situation. “It’s difficult for me to go into depth,” said Lieberknecht. “Many aspects come together.” However.
Lieberknecht even named two of them himself at the press conference, despite his self-imposed plain language muzzle. The departure of top scorer Philipp Tietz to FC Augsburg in the summer, Lieberknecht indicated, had created a sporting gap and curbed the euphoria within the team. The departure of ex-manager Carsten Wehlmann in the winter presented the club with major problems and caught them completely unprepared.
Tietz, whom Lieberknecht did not blame, and Wehlmann, who Lieberknecht no longer speaks well of, certainly played their part in the misery. However, both are also symbolic of deeper problems.
Problem number one: the squad
The sporting quality, which was significantly deteriorated by the departure of top scorer Tietz, was ultimately simply not enough to survive in the Bundesliga. The Lilies, and above all squad planner Wehlmann, relied on perspective and development potential when putting together the team. The fact that, in contrast to previous times, experience only played a subordinate role in the search for new players was a clear mistake. The fact that of the numerous summer newcomers only Tim Skarke was a real reinforcement does not speak for good scouting.
Problem number two: too much unrest
Even before the first Bundesliga game kicked off, it was clear that Darmstadt 98 would only have a realistic chance of staying in the league with a perfect season. The team, fans and club should have merged into a symbiosis and taken advantage of the promotion momentum. Alone: Things turned out differently.
Tietz’s farewell dampened the spirit of optimism, followed by numerous dismissals, occasional bad luck with the referee, repeated strange and exaggerated criticism of the referees and too many injuries. When the lilies wanted to gather again in winter and get going, Wehlmann ran away. The fact that he did this, as Lieberknecht explained, two days after a nine-hour squad meeting is questionable, but it fits exactly into the picture of this season.
For the Lilies, who then needed more than four months to find a successor for Wehlmann, there was simply too much chaos on and off the pitch. So it couldn’t work out.
Problem number three: entitlement
Despite all sorts of external influences, there were definitely also internal vibrations that had a negative impact on this season. Since the Lilies repeatedly emphasized how big the financial gap was to the other teams, one got the feeling that this absolute underdog role was too firmly anchored in the minds of the players and was occasionally used as an excuse. The best example: While fellow promoted team Heidenheim was fuming in the dressing room when the half-time score was 0-2 against FC Bayern, the Darmstadt team seemed quite satisfied after the 2-5 defeat against Munich or comparable games. It could have been worse.
The same feeling spread too often in the stadium at the Böllenfalltor. The fact that it only took a 6-0 defeat against Augsburg to get the Darmstadt fans’ souls boiling is quite astonishing considering they have only had two wins this season. The awe of the Bundesliga was too often too great.
To be clear: The Lilies were and are the blatant underdogs, there is absolutely no shame in their relegation. But the aftertaste remains that with a little more boldness, more would have been possible. Captain Fabian Holland admitted on Saturday in Mainz that the team had not reached its performance limits in the decisive game and thus confirmed this impression. The lilies were too good and too humble.
And Lieberknecht?
At the end of this season, coach Lieberknecht, who continues to enjoy full trust in southern Hesse, will certainly have to question himself. The promotion hero has done a sensational job in Darmstadt since his arrival and has certainly had to cope with a lot of setbacks in the last few weeks. The whole truth is that he has not managed to give the team structure this season. The defensive formation felt different in every game, a real axis never developed. Of course there were a lot of people injured, suspended or out of form at short notice.
Why, for example, in Mainz, sixth man Bartol Franjic suddenly moved into central defense alongside Christoph Klarer, even though there were two trained defenders on the bench, Christoph Zimmermann and Clemens Riedel, is not clear to everyone and certainly did not ensure stability. But that’s exactly what the Lilies needed this season.
What’s next?
After the descent that will come, the lilies will first have to shake themselves vigorously and then collect themselves. The fact that a new sporting director has finally been found in Paul Fernie is a first step. Lieberknecht also deserves to stay on board. However, the work that lies ahead for this duo should not be underestimated. There are plenty of warning examples of Bundesliga relegated teams suddenly languishing in the basement in the second division.