Düsseldorf looking to end unfinished business

Agonisingly close

By all accounts, it would not be unsurprising for Fortuna to be haunted by the way in which they failed to clinch promotion back to the Bundesliga in last season’s relegation play-off against Bochum. After taking a 3-0 lead away to the Merkur Spiel-Arena following the first leg of the tie, Düsseldorf failed to protect this seemingly comfortable lead and capitulated at home. Their opponents scored three goals without reply in normal time, before going on to win 6-5 on penalties, securing their Bundesliga status for another season and making sure Düsseldorf’s efforts in 23/24 went unrewarded.

Watch: Highlights of Fortuna Düsseldorf 0-3 Bochum

Back to the drawing board

Daniel Thioune's side, though, have not taken defeat lying down and are setting the pace so far this campaign. Fortuna sit top of the pile on 20 points after nine games played, with six wins, two draws and just one loss. Not only that, but they can also boast the second-best goal difference in the league on +7 (only behind Hamburg's +13), and the second-best defensive record in the division having conceded just seven goals (behind Hannover on six).

Their strong backline is proof of a tactical shift this term, given Düsseldorf scored the most goals and had the best goal difference in the second tier last term (ahead of both St. Pauli and Kiel). They also appear to be more composed and more capable of seeing out big games. Already this season, they’ve beaten both Hannover and Hertha, and drawn with Karlsruhe and Cologne, all four of whom are fellow promotion hopefuls this term. Additionally, they are five points better off this season than they were at the equivalent stage of 12 months ago - after nine games of the 23/24 campaign, they had lost twice, compared to just once this season.

Room for improvement

Despite their strong start to the season, there are still plenty of areas where Fortuna will feel they can better themselves. First and foremost, their home record remains an issue. They have taken all fifteen available points from five games on the road, but on home soil, they’ve taken just five from four fixtures. Given the nature of their failed promotion attempt last season, Fortuna fans will be rightfully anxious that their struggles on home turf may continue to hold them back. Still, the fixtures they have had so far at home have come against Hamburg (loss), Cologne (draw), Karlsruhe (draw) and Hannover (win), meaning alarm bells will not be ringing just yet.

Furthermore, Düsseldorf have the worst goalscoring record out of the top five teams, having found the back of the net just fourteen times. There may be a few reasons behind this. Their playing style this season has been that of a defensively compact team that is hard to break down and then quickly and clinically hits teams on the break. Quite simply, counterattacking football is not a recipe for free-flowing chance creation, but with the exception of the game against Hamburg, it has worked.

Fortuna will hope that match was a blip, as they conceded all three goals in a 3-0 loss by giving the ball away in dangerous areas, with Hamburg punishing them before they could get numbers behind the ball. If they can avoid such errors, they will remain a seriously tough opponent to beat.  

The loss of big names like Christos Tzolis, who departed for Club Brugge in the summer having registered a league-leading 22 goals in 2023/24, as well as regular starter and contributor Ao Tanaka, may also explain the dip in goals. Otherwise, however, Fortuna's progress doesn’t seem to have slowed. They still have a talented young squad - David Kowanacki will improve, Tim Rossman is showing his quality, while Jona Niemiec and Felix Klaus are displaying their obvious ability. Recapturing Ísak Jóhannesson was important as he continues to develop and Shinta Appelkamp remains a key playmaker, even if he is yet to hit the heights of last term.

Heads held high

Sat at the Bundesliga 2 summit despite players still honing their craft and the exit of crucial performers from the previous campaign, there is every reason for Düsseldorf fans to be optimistic about doing what they could not last season. And, if they can bring their home form in line with their success on the road, there may well find a way back to the elite for the first time since 2019/2020.