If Hull City's rise to prominence over the past decade is a fairytale for their hardened supporters, Hoffenheim's meteoric rise to the summit of the Bundesliga is nothing short of miraculous.
From the lowly Verbandsliga Nordbaden (the German equivalent of the Conference North), the Mannheim-based team have shot up the German football pyramid with four promotions in eight seasons in some style.
But they didn't stop there. Hoffenheim now lead the prestigious Bundesliga by three points from G14 powerhouses Bayern Munchen and Bayer Leverkusen.What is even more impressive is that they are scoring goals for fun against many top European sides. With 37 in 14 league games including five against Werder Bremen, four against Borussia Dortmund and three against Hamburg.
All of this has been achieved with only relatively modest investment.
Like Hull, nothing was expected from them at the start of the season, and, like Hull, this lack of pressure is helping them sustain their effort.
The gay abandon with which they play has been highlighted by star striker and golden boot favourite Vedad Ibisevic as a major factor in their success:
"Our aim was just to stay up in the first division. That makes it easier for us, because we can just play without any pressure. And that's what we plan to do."spanspan Single Page
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about 1 month ago
Good article Chris, Hoffenheim are doing really well at the moment, and while I'd love to see them there at the end, I just have this feeling that they'll run out of steam come the end.
about 1 month ago
I'm confident that we'll see them in one European club competition or another next season. I don't think they'll quite have enough to win the Bundesliga.
The again, Hamburg are looking shaky and Bayern Munchen have not had it all their own way.
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