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Under the leadership of Pellegrino Matarazzo, Hoffenheim earned European qualification for the first time since the 2019/20 campaign. The head coach then was Julian Nagelsmann, who went to RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich and now the Germany national team. Now, in Matarazzo’s second season in charge of Hoffenheim, the club finished seventh in the Bundesliga. That is enough for at least the Europa Conference League.
However, Hoffenheim’s fate for next season is not certain. It can only get better, as there is a chance Hoffenheim receives a spot in next season’s Europa League. If Bayer Leverkusen wins this weekend’s DFB-Pokal Final over Kaiserslautern, the team finishing seven earns a spot in the secondary European competition. The reason is that the winner of the DFB-Pokal earns a spot in the Europa League. Leverkusen, which finished atop the Bundesliga table, earned a spot in the UEFA Champions League. That Europa League position gets passed to the team finishing seventh. Consequently, the Conference League Spot Hoffenheim currently occupies falls to Heidenheim in eighth.
Therefore, Leverkusen will have two massive supporters when it plays Kaiserslautern. Not only is Heidenheim hoping to clinch a European spot for the first time in the club’s history. Hoffenheim can continue to grow under Pellegrino Matarazzo, who has clearly emerged as one of the best American coaches in soccer.
Hoffenheim has been a team showing potential over one-and-a-half years with Matarazzo. Initially off to a rough start with five losses in a row, Matarazzo steadied the ship and forced some strong results in the Bundesliga. Seventeen points from the team’s last 10 games pulled the side from the bottom of the league to 12th. That included a draw against Bayern Munich and a 3-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Hoffenheim European qualification shows Matarazzo’s ability
This season, Hoffenheim has been one of the thorns in the side of the best clubs. Leverkusen…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/hoffenheim-close-to-european-qualification-thanks-to-us-coach/
Author : Kyle Fansler
Publish date : 2024-05-20 20:28:56
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