Heidenheim’s European Adventure Could End In Disaster

It was a shock to see Heidenheim qualify for their first ever European tournament last season as they finished eighth in their debut campaign in the Bundesliga. Just 20 years ago they were competing in the sixth tier of German football, so their rise has been historic however now, just less than a season on from their historic finish in the top division, they are staring down the barrel of relegation.

Last Season

Their campaign last year wasn’t particularly ground breaking in terms of the wins that they managed to get. They did beat Bayern Munich once, but overall they only won 10 matches in the whole season. For some perspective, Dortmund, who are currently in 10th place in the Bundesliga, have already managed 10 wins.

This club have gone from the 5th tier of German football to a 100% record in the UEFA Conference League...

We need to speak about FC Heidenheim.

A thread! 🧵📰 pic.twitter.com/3azQVXeQAX

— Cenk (@eurocenk) November 8, 2024

What really set Heidenheim up for greatness last year was their sheer number of draws - 12 in total. This included two against Borussia Dortmund, a team that managed to make it to the Champions League final last season. Their unbeaten run from the beginning of December to the beginning of February, which lasted eight games, propelled them up the table and helped them to clinch European football on the last day of the season with a 4-1 win over Koln.

What Has Gone Wrong This Season?

Things looked like they might be going wrong at the start of this season when all three of their top goalscorers from the previous campaign left the club. Tim Kleindienst had scored 14 goals for the newly promoted side but he moved to Borussia Monchengladbach for just £7m. Similarly Jan-Niklas Beste joined Benfica after an eight goal campaign and Eren Dinkci returned to Werder Bremen after his loan spell expired. The only player that they bought in the summer who has made a real impact on the team this season is Paul Wanner, who is just 19 years old and joined on loan from Bayern Munich.

Since he left the club, Kleindienst has continued his goal scoring form for Monchengladbach, with 14 and six assists in all competitions. It is likely that he would have done similarly at Heidenheim, which would have probably seen them further up the table. Beste has had a less than impressive campaign while Dinkci has been slowly working his way into the Freiburg team.

The fact that their squad is probably weaker has had an effect on both their league performance and their performance in Europe. I’m sure Heidenheim fans weren’t expecting many wins in Europe this season, so were pleasantly surprised when they won their first three matches of the campaign. This was enough to see them qualify for the knockout playoff where they faced Copenhagen over two legs, losing in extra time at home.

After clinching a spot in the Conference League, it's been a busy summer for 1.FC Heidenheim.

Tim Kleindienst has been sold, Eren Dinkçi won't return, and Jan-Niklas Beste will join Benfica soon.

They've made promising signings but they need to hope their stars can be replaced. pic.twitter.com/CwgPi0cxOL

— Charles Erb — TheSoccerGoal.com (@The_Soccer_Goal) July 11, 2024

Meanwhile, their league performances have been even worse. Like their European campaign, they started off the league quite well, with two wins and two clean sheets. Two losses followed and then another win, which saw them sitting in sixth place at the beginning of October. Since then however, they have won just one game in the league, a 2-0 home victory over Union Berlin on the 11th January. They haven’t even earned many draws like they managed last season either with just four all campaign.

What Will Happen Next Season?

Despite being just six points away from safety, given their form, it looks unlikely that Heidenheim will be able to escape relegation to the second tier. Their squad at its core is a Bundesliga 2 team and I don’t even see them earning promotion back to the top flight, especially considering how tight the top of the second division is at the moment. Their biggest talents this season will return to their parent clubs following the expiry of their loans, and looking at the club’s recent history in the transfer market, they are unlikely to reinvest.

This is a sad situation for Heidenheim fans and is a shocking reminder of how brutal football can be, especially if you're focusing on multiple competitions at the same time. Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Fulham fans should look at Heidenheim as an example of what not to do when you qualify for European football for the first time in a long time, as all three clubs look set to battle for a top eight spot in the Premier League.