Dynamo Dresden: Their big 2. Bundesliga preview
Dynamo Dresden have come straight back up from 3. Liga as champions following their relegation from the 2. Bundesliga in 2019/20 after a 4 year stay in Germany's 2nd tier. Dresden finished 4 points clear of runners-up Hansa Rostock, how will they fare back in the 2nd tier? Here is the big SGD 2. Bundesliga preview:
Key information
Manager: Alexander Schmidt
Stadium: Rudolf Harbig Stadion
Founded: 12 April 1953
Nicknames: SGD, Dynamo
Pre-season
Pre-season start: June 19th
Training camp: July 1st to 9th in Heilbad Heiligenstadt, Thuringia
Friendlies: June 26: Bertha BSC II 3:1, June 30: FK Jablonec 3:1, July 3: Eintracht Braunschweig 1:0, July 17 vs Union Berlin
Dresden have played 4 friendlies during this summer and have enjoyed a relative amount of success during the games having won 3 of them. But they will face a strong test against the Bundesliga side 1.FC Union Berlin.
Summer signings and departures
Additions: Jong-min Seo (Eintracht Frankfurt U19), Anton Mitryushkin (Fortuna Düsseldorf), Morris Schröter (FSV Zwickau), Luca Herrmann (SC Freiburg II), Michael Akoto (1.FSV Mainz 05 II), Brandon Borrello (SC Freiburg), Antonis Aidonis (VfB Stuttgart, loan), Michael Sollbauer (Barnsley), Vasil Kusej and Simon Gollnack (Usti nad Labem, loans end) Phil Harres and Jonas Kühn (promoted from SGD U19)
Departures: Julius Kade (Union Berlin), Leroy Kwadwo (MSV Duisburg), Niklas Kreuzer (Hallescher FC), Maximilian Großer (Hamburger SV II), Vasil Kusej (1.SK Prostejov), Marco Hartmann and Stefan Kiefer (end of contract), Jonathan Meier (1.FSV Mainz 05, loan ends), Marvin Stefaniak (VfL Wolfsburg, loan ends)
Alexander Schmidt was appointed in April 2021 after Dresden sacked their previous coach Markus Kauczinski with the club sitting in 4th. Schmidt led the Dresden revival into the top 2 and eventually the 3. Liga title and he did so with a talented squad. Last season's acquisition from Union Berlin, Julius Kade, was a mainstay in the Dresden side and Union exercised their buy-back option this summer so Kade returns to Union for a fee of €500,000. Dresden replaced Kade with Frankfurt U19 midfielder Jong-min Seo as well as SC Freiburg II's Luca Herrmann. Both have arrived on free transfers so Dresden are yet to spend the €500k they received from Union for Kade.
First six matches
Matchday 1 - vs Ingolstadt 04 (H), Saturday 24th July, 13:30 local
Matchday 2 - vs Hamburger SV (A), Sunday 1st August, 13:30 local
Matchday 3 - vs Hannover 96 (H), Saturday 14th August, 20:30 local
Matchday 4 - vs Hansa Rostock (A), Saturday 21st August, 20:30 local
Matchday 5 - vs SC Paderborn 07 (H), Sunday 29th August, 13:30 local
Matchday 6 - vs 1.FC Heidenheim (A), Sunday 12th September, 13:30 local
Key player
There are a couple of players to choose from, their top scorer in the 3. Liga Christoph Daferner and 2nd-top scorer Philipp Hosiner are definite contenders for the key player role. But I am going to go for Daferner as the key player here. As the lead man for the Dresden side, Alexander Schmidt will be looking to him to score the goals and help to try and keep Dresden up. The way Schmidt likes Dresden to play, Daferner would need some help either from the wingers putting crosses in for the 6'2" center forward, or a striker partner in a 2 striker formation.
Possible tactics
Under Markus Kauczinski, Dresden started the season playing a 4-2-3-1 formation. They also tried their hand at the 4-5-1 but both formations left Daferner up front, most of the time, on his own.
When Kauczinski was given the sack, Schmidt came in and tweaked the system and changed the philosophy of Dresden. The 2-striker formation was brought in and a creative number 10 was deployed most of the time. These 3 positions were the main part of Schmidt's tactics and he often varied his formations, with the team being able to play both in a 3-back formation and a 4-back formation. 4-3-1-2 and 3-4-1-2 were the main formations used by Schmidt, but he also experimented with the 4-3-3 allowing wingers to whip crosses into the middle for Daferner.
Expect to see Dresden line up with 2 up top most of the time, and expect to see Christoph Daferner's name on the teamsheet for most games leading the line.
The writer's opinion
With Dresden's stature in the East German football scene, the Dynamo fans are expecting a very brave fight against relegation. Out of the 3 teams that have come up from the 3. Liga, Dresden look the most likely to stay up or at the very least finish in the relegation playoff spot. SGD fans have every right to be optimistic considering the fact that since their return to playing in the 2. Bundesliga back in 2011/12, Dynamo have played only 3 seasons outside the second tier, and after the 2 times where they came up from the 3. Liga, Dynamo survived the drop in their first season back on both occasions including an amazing 5th place finish in the 2016/17 season after winning the 3. Liga in 2015/16. Omens look good for Dynamo Dresden to beat the drop again this time around and I believe that Dynamo does have what it takes to stay up. A good coach with a good philosophy and a strong squad, Dynamo can most certainly surprise a lot of people and get a couple of shock results.