Major collapse: perennial troublemaker to rescue crisis club

There are those images that burn themselves into the collective memory of an entire football club. For example, a sold-out Merkur Spiel-Arena on May 27, 2024. With the 3-0 win from the first leg in Bochum behind them, Fortuna Düsseldorf was just one step away from the Bundesliga. The fans could smell the top flight, the players already had one and a half feet in promotion. But then came the big shock.

After a 0-3 defeat and a subsequent loss in the penalty shootout, Fortuna had to lay their Bundesliga hopes to rest. The Red-Whites have never come this close to Germany’s top tier since.

Only a year and a half later, these images seem like relics from a long-gone era. After 16 matchdays, Fortuna Düsseldorf sits in 17th place, having collected only 14 points, just one ahead of the bottom of the table.

Since the coaching change from Daniel Thioune to Markus Anfang—a decision that many Fortuna fans still view very critically—things have actually gotten worse. Four points from eight games reflect the record of a clear relegation candidate. The alarm bells couldn’t be ringing any louder.

Missed Objectives?

Just a few months ago, everything sounded very different. Former sporting director Klaus Allofs made no secret of the club’s ambitions before the season and openly stated promotion as the goal—even if he never used the word itself.

In retrospect, this clarity now seems like self-imposed pressure. Over the summer, the squad was completely overhauled. Thirteen new signings, twelve departures, plus five expired loans. Key players like Isak Johannesson, Jamil Siebert, and Dawid Kownacki left the club. While promising names like Anouar El Azzouzi, Cedric Itten, and Florent Muslija arrived, it was actually foreseeable that such an upheaval would take time.

The current numbers speak for themselves. Almost all of Fortuna’s top scorers are new signings, and real automatisms have yet to develop. With only 13 goals, Düsseldorf also has the weakest offense in the league. In the last five matches, they managed just three goals.

On top of that, there’s massive injury misfortune. Currently, several potential regulars—Sotiris Alexandropoulos, Tim Breithaupt, and Valgeir Lunddal—are all out injured. It’s a dangerous mix that has accelerated the free fall.

“Diamond Eye” Mislintat Takes Over

In early December, the chaos finally took its course. Klaus Allofs announced he would not be extending his expiring contract. Less than a week later, the supervisory board pulled the plug, dismissed Allofs early, and installed Sven Mislintat as the new strongman in charge.

So, they’re turning to a name that polarizes like few others. The “Diamond Eye” is regarded as an outstanding scout. At BVB, he once recommended Shinji Kagawa and Ousmane Dembélé. At the same time, his record in absolute leadership positions reads as highly mixed.

📸 PHIL NIJHUIS

At Ajax, he was dismissed after just four months, with many fans blaming him for the club’s sporting decline and calling the 2023 transfer window the “worst in club history.” At VfB Stuttgart, according to 'kicker' information, he turned down an extension because he would no longer have the final say on transfers. And at BVB, his second stint ended after nine months, accompanied by an internal power struggle with sporting director Sebastian Kehl.

Since then, Mislintat has been considered “burned” in parts of the German football public. He himself disagrees. “I am very open to discussion and strong in my opinions. You don’t achieve top performance in comfort zones,” he explained to 'Bild' in October.

A Double Last Straw

The fact that Fortuna is now handing him almost all sporting responsibilities seems like an act of desperation—and like the proverbial last straw. In any case, Mislintat immediately lived up to his reputation. On his first full working day, he was involved in the dismissal of sporting director Christian Weber. That position will not be filled for now; Mislintat is effectively acting as the sole ruler.

His first goal is a win against Greuther Fürth on the final matchday of the first half of the season. Markus Anfang was given a job guarantee for this, albeit with a clear undertone. Mislintat explicitly did not rule out discussions about the time “beyond that.”

There are many indications that Fortuna could go into the second half of the season with a new coach and some winter transfers. On both matters, Mislintat has full command.

For Düsseldorf, he is the last bullet in the fight against relegation to the third division. And for Mislintat himself, more or less the same applies. If this project also fails, it’s unlikely any professional club will entrust him with such power again.

The coming months on the Rhine promise high drama. They will determine whether the drop from almost-promoted to third-division side actually becomes reality.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 Christof Koepsel - 2022 Getty Images