Bundesliga 2026/27 Tactical Previews | SC Paderborn 07
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Our Get German Soccer Information Bundesliga Tactical Preview sequence forward of the 2026/27 marketing campaign rolls on. The present part leads us to “sequence inside a sequence” territory. It’s time to check out the German high flight’s two promoted groups: SC Paderborn and SV Elversberg. Curiously sufficient, each these golf equipment – to not point out their colours – fall squarely into what Germans time period the “Graue Maus” zone. Even these with rudimentary German data can doubtless infer that “Graue Maus” interprets to “Gray Mouse”. Two such curious mammalian Rodentia have popped up within the “Oberhaus Kitchen” this 12 months.
A “Graue Maus” membership, as soon as once more simply inferable, slinks into the Bundesliga kitchen from an not easily seen gap within the wall. Simply as quickly because it seems, it often absconds again into its previous abode. Elversberg occur to be complete Bundesliga newcomers, which means that they’re at finest aspiring to be a “Graue Maus” membership. Paderborn, then again, qualify because the quintessential “Graue Maus” entity. The East Westphalians surfaced for the 2014/15 marketing campaign, disappearing after only one season. The identical factor occurred within the 2019/20 marketing campaign. The keep within the kitchen remained temporary. On got here the lights. Scampering away went the mouse.
Paderborn earns a barely longer introductory part. The writer clearly remembers the 2019/20 Steffen Baumgart-coached incarnation fairly properly. It featured loads of names acquainted to him as he was overlaying the Bundesliga beat that 12 months. Others gained’t be capable of distinguish Paderborn from Bielefeld. Many will get Paderborn and Elversberg blended up this season. That’s completely forgivable, but it surely needn’t happen. The writer assures everybody all in favour of Bundesliga literacy that this column will get them totally in control on SCP. Stick to this sequence! You shall be a “Graue Maus” professional earlier than it!
SC Paderborn 07
What distinguishes Paderborn from the opposite mice? Consider SCP because the membership that produced a great deal of Bundesliga trainers and managers. The aforementioned Baumgart was truly succeeded by Köln’s ill-fated Lukas Kwasniok. Former Schalke, Hoffenheim, and Hannover coach André Breitenreiter additionally led this group throughout its ill-fated 2014/15 keep in German soccer. On the managerial degree, Paderborn produced two present Bundesliga chief personnel executives: Board Members for Sport Markus Krösche (Eintracht Frankfurt) and Fabian Wohlgemuth (VfB Stuttgart).
Extra journeys down reminiscence lane all through the course of this evaluation shall assist extra reminiscences floor. Belief the chronicler. Paderborn associations stay deeply buried in your unconscious. They shall ascend all the way in which as much as your prefrontal cortex, yielding “Oh yeah, that’s proper!” moments. Bear in mind Klaus Gjasula’s protecting helmet and yellow card document? Oh yeah, that’s proper! Paderborn! How about Baumgart incomes his “cult coach standing” throughout the “Geisterspiel Period” when everybody may hear him gruffly shouting and whistling on the sidelines? Paderborn!
Gerrit Holtmann stoking everybody’s curiosity in pace data? Paderborn! Streli Mamba popping out of the three. Liga to take the highest flight by storm? Paderborn! Luca Kilian formally changing into the primary Bundesliga participant to check optimistic for COVID? You guessed it! Paderborn! We’ll sadly have to chop it off right here. The present model of this group intrigues sufficient as it’s. Furthermore, we should sort out the query as to how lengthy this explicit “Graue Maus” plans on hanging round.
Main personnel shifts, Paderborn
Estimated Summer season Switch Steadiness = -€450,000
Bundesliga promotion has given Paderborn a bit cash to play with. In contrast to in promotion years previous, nevertheless, the East Westphalians have opted to not squirrel it away. Many people have been stunned to see them splurge €3m on former Bayern Munich attacker Gabriel Vidovic. This group ordinarily qualifies as a “Steine anstatt Beine” membership, although they do earmark funding cash for greater than the stadium and infrastructure. This membership’s administration famously prioritizes cultivating the youth division. In any occasion, it served as fairly the shock to look at a membership that solely spent a minuscule quantity (possibly €600,000 or so) on gamers forward of their final Bundesliga season rack up practically €6m in monetary outlays this summer time.
A part of the acquainted recruitment mannequin stays intact. Loads of new arrivals got here from the two. Bundesliga, 3. Liga, Regionalliga or Bundesliga reserve/growth constructions. Midfielders Oliver Batista Meier, Luka Duric, and Jano ter Horst nonetheless didn’t arrive on free transfers. Mortgage gamers reminiscent of Deniz Zeitler (Hoffenheim), Nahuel Noll (additionally Hoffenheim), and Laurin Ulrich (Stuttgart) additionally arrived with six-figure charges connected. The spending grew to become obligatory as a result of what one may time period “regular bloodletting” from a promoted aspect. It’s not unusual in any respect for a group like this to lose its finest gamers.
In Paderborn’s case, three gamers left with out producing switch earnings. Promotion keeper Dennis Seimen returned to Stuttgart after an impressive mortgage marketing campaign. Beginning heart again Calvin Brackelmann joined Augsburg on a free. Most damagingly in assault, Filip Bilbija took his 15 promotion targets to Derby County with out producing a payment. Bilbija’s versatility and capability to show probabilities into targets left a gap that Paderborn spent a lot of the summer time making an attempt to fill. At the least Mika Baur introduced €5m plus into the SCP coffers.
On paper, replacements have been procured at each place. Noll is the plain try to breed Seimen. Ulrich has been earmarked particularly to assist change Baur in midfield. Additional ahead, Vidovic, Batista Meier, Zeitler and Millgramm furnish a number of alternative ways of changing Bilbija’s creativity and directness with none one in every of them being requested to duplicate 15 targets alone. Brackelmann’s departure appears tougher to unravel so neatly. The entire defensive position has been injury-ravaged this summer time. Paderborn have changed the names. Whether or not they’ve changed what these names truly did is a moderately extra Bundesliga-sized query.
Notes from pre-season, Paderborn
Paderborn started the marketing campaign with an 18-0 win over B-Kreisligist Blau-Weiß Ostenland. Paderborn scored via eleven completely different gamers. Ahem. Proper. Transferring proper alongside. Hannover 96 got here subsequent and gave this scribbling notetaker some materials. Ralf Kettemann started with a variable 3-5-2 that seemed like a 3-4-1-2 in possession. Hannover twice led via useless ball conditions. Steffen Tigges equalized as soon as, whereas Stefano Marino ultimately scored twice to finish a 3-2 comeback. Marino’s actions within the second take a look at have been mildly fascinating in that he floated round a bit.
Japanese first-division aspect Fagiano Okayama was subsequent. Kettemann tried out a 3-4-3 and 4-3-3. Cool. Sven Michel scored twice in a 3-1 win. Albert Millgramm got here on and arrange Sebastian Klaas for the third. Double cool. It wasn’t fairly time to take the tactical pocket book to the library white board simply but, significantly after a scarcity of heart backs towards Magdeburg compelled Kettemann to place the group in a 4-4-2. Truthfully, hell with taking notes at that time. A sport with none SCP targets (a 0-2 defeat) additionally produced barely sufficient ink to justify clicking the pen open.
Paderborn lorded over loads of possession towards FCM. Tigges got here near scoring twice. Millgramm struck the put up towards his former membership. No motive to learn an excessive amount of into it. The Bundesliga outfit had simply accomplished their heaviest coaching week whereas the two. Bundesliga aspect had the advantage of two weeks of extra camp work behind them. American midfielder Santiago Castaneda had one thing about him. The writer of an everyday “Individuals within the Bundesliga” column skilled a quick flashback to the previous “Days of Yore”. That truly proved a bit irritating.
Southampton seemingly got here out of nowhere to function the subsequent exhibition opponent. Paderborn ultimately took the take a look at as a result of Jano ter Horst apparently determined standard ending was overrated. The nominal wing-back — not too long ago pressed into emergency service at center-back — equalized within the 87th minute with a bicycle kick, then scored once more in stoppage time. Triple cool. Tactically, Kettemann remained with out a lot of his common heart backs. We thus witnessed one other again three. No time for “quadruple cool” simply but.
Slightly little bit of an unwelcome development started manifesting itself at this level. Southampton’s purpose got here off a poorly defended nook. Hannover had already scored twice from useless balls. Magdeburg added one other from a free kick. Southampton joined the listing. One can maybe forgive a preseason set-piece drawback when half the out there heart backs are caught within the remedy room, however Bundesliga groups will discover all the identical.
The two-0 win at Osnabrück returned Paderborn nearer to the popular construction. In opposition to the ball they shaped a 5-2-3, whereas Castaneda dropped clearly in entrance of the defensive position to conduct possession. Mika Baur may then push increased into the offensive half-space. The soccer largely labored. Baur ultimately scored simply earlier than halftime. The second got here from 17-year-old Vigo Wernet, an Osnabrück-born Paderborn U19 participant drafted into the squad due to accidents and listed on the group sheet with an “F” for “Freundschaftsspielberechtigter.”
The friendship-match-authorized teenager naturally scored.
Now it’s “quadruple” cool time!
The harm listing was changing into considerably much less humorous. Hoffmeier got here off early with a calf drawback and Michel suffered a groin/thigh harm anticipated to price him a number of weeks. Götze, Awortwie-Grant, Nick Bätzner and Timur Gayret have been already unavailable. A 140-minute marathon towards Werder Bremen modified little concerning the central footballing query. Paderborn created the higher alternatives for lengthy intervals. Millgramm and Batista Meier threatened early. Marino struck the bar.
Seventy minutes handed and not using a purpose. Then 4 tallies arrived as soon as many of the reserves have been on and there was nobody left to care. The writer occurred to be one in every of these cussed souls, each bit as cussed as East Westphalians themselves. No leisure in an prolonged scrimmage. No eyeballs both. Ruben Müller and Lasse Eickel scored within the closing 2-2 draw. Good for them. The ultimate doubleheader towards Köln was the place the actual classes would lie anyway.
The primary half was poor. Paderborn defended deep, struggled badly to attach protection with assault, and allowed Köln to manage proceedings. Ragnar Ache deservedly made it 1-0. Then halftime occurred. Apparently Köln ought to have requested whether or not the second half might be referred to as off. Batista Meier curled residence a free kick. Curda crossed for Castaneda to go within the second. Batista Meier then produced a beautiful first contact earlier than supplying Curda for 3-1. Stated El Mala’s late penalty made the ultimate rating 3-2.
The second Paderborn group then went 1-3 all the way down to Köln’s reserves and gained 4-3. Steffen Tigges scored thrice towards his former membership. Felix Götze equipped the opposite whereas showing in a center-forward place late. Throughout the 2 matches, Paderborn subsequently turned 0-1 into 3-1 and 1-3 into 4-3. Be aware to Köln: halftime is seemingly when Paderborn decide to begin taking part in.
The summer time as a complete leaves us with a reasonably coherent tactical image regardless of the infinite formation adjustments. Kettemann nonetheless seems most snug starting from a again three, however the precise numbers round it are extremely fluid. Paderborn have defended in a 5-2-3, constructed via 3-5-2 and 3-4-2-1 constructions, switched into 3-4-3 shapes and used each 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 when personnel or the train demanded it.
After which there are the useless balls. Too many preseason targets towards got here from corners and free kicks, although central defensive accidents clearly difficult the work. Nonetheless, there was lots to love. Importantly, the promoted aspect hardly ever seemed terrified of taking part in its soccer. Whether or not the Bundesliga will allow them fairly so many probabilities to complete writing the ultimate sentence is one other query.
Winners from camp, Paderborn
Steffen Tigges, CF
Now the promised stroll down reminiscence lane. Bear in mind this odd Edin Terzic BVB call-up? Recall how he then moved to Köln and routinely did not make Tim Schultz’s bench squad towards the top of the 2023/24 relegation marketing campaign? The now 28-year-old is again with a vengeance, scoring a hat trick towards the membership that didn’t give him a lot of an opportunity to assist with promotion or relegation and offloaded him for a paltry payment final August. Revenge absolutely tastes sweeter than a carnival deal with for this Osnabrück native. Generally, it’s additionally been a very good camp for him. Whether or not that interprets right into a beginning function stays much less sure. We’re defining “winner” moderately broadly right here.
Stefano Marino arguably enters aggressive play with the stronger declare. The 22-year-old struck twice towards Hannover and led the road for Kettemann’s stronger XI within the closing Köln doubleheader. Marino additionally affords a extra cell interpretation of the place, repeatedly dropping towards the No. 10 area to hyperlink play and assist drive assaults from deeper areas. Tigges stays the extra bodily choice, bringing aerial presence, hold-up play and significantly extra Bundesliga expertise, however his wonderful end to preseason has most likely earned him a real battle moderately than settled the hierarchy. An fascinating story nonetheless brews.
Oliver Batista Meier, ATTM
Bear in mind this former Bayern Munich expertise? What has the Kaiserslautern native been as much as? Batista Meier left Bayern’s growth construction after a mortgage spell with Heerenveen, moved to Dynamo Dresden, and ultimately rediscovered his trajectory throughout a wonderful mortgage spell at Verl. Stops with Grasshopper Zürich, one other return to Dresden, and SSV Ulm adopted earlier than he landed at Preußen Münster final season. The 25-year-old lastly produced a stable second-tier marketing campaign there, registering six targets and 4 assists in 30 league appearances.
Now Paderborn have picked him up for simply €400,000, and the previous Bayern prospect has seemed like a pure match for Kettemann’s rotating attacking constructions. Batista Meier can function as a No. 10 or second striker. His camp completed significantly properly. After threatening towards Werder, he scored a beautiful free kick within the stronger group’s 3-2 comeback towards Köln earlier than producing the contact and cross that launched Laurin Curda for the decisive third. Paderborn could lastly have discovered the setting by which the as soon as extremely regarded Bayern expertise can flip all these amassed profession detours into one thing extra steady.
Albert Millgramm, LW/RW
Somebody nobody remembers ultimately. Some story this! The writer has already taken to calling him Albert “Mini-Jobber” Millgramm! The 21-year-old Berlin native was nonetheless working a few afternoon shifts per week at Rewe whereas his skilled profession was starting to take form. A number of months later, he was making ready for a Bundesliga season. Millgramm arrived at this membership from…watch for it…the Magdeburg reserves. To this point, his skilled footballing expertise is restricted to a pair of temporary reduction deployments within the 2. Bundesliga . He’s now change into one of many revelations of Kettemann’s camp.
Kettemann has been virtually giddy about him, praising not merely the dribbling however Millgramm’s judgement over when to take opponents on, his capability to beat one and even two defenders, and his extraordinary working output from penalty space to penalty space. Millgramm hardly appears constructed for conventional Bundesliga trench warfare. Kettemann considers {that a} function moderately than a bug. One can hardly wait to get to know Kettemann’s “little large” higher. It additionally constitutes nice information that one can nonetheless get a good Mini-Job within the Bundesrepublik. A cool footballer and an uplifting social welfare program.
The previous grocery store mini-jobber is perhaps selecting up some very completely different common shifts quickly.
Jano ter Horst, RM
This participant captures the “pre-season leisure” award. Ter Horst, a €200,000 arrival from Preußen Münster, spent a lot of camp being shuffled into emergency service within the again three as accidents mounted. He scored an 87th-minute bicycle-kick equalizer towards Southampton earlier than scoring once more in stoppage time to finish a 2-1 win. Ter Horst’s usefulness went properly past the acrobatics: his capability to cowl the correct flank and central protection gave Kettemann badly wanted flexibility, and he retained his place within the again three with the stronger XI for the ultimate Köln take a look at. For a participant who arrived trying like cheap utility depth, that’s been fairly the introduction.
Santiago Castaneda, CM
Bundesliga beat reporters know this 21-year-old from a seemingly infinite stream of switch rumors linking him with a transfer to the highest flight. Humorous how promotion ultimately solved that drawback for him. Castaneda now appears like one of many most secure names on Kettemann’s group sheet and, extra importantly, the structural fixed round which all these shifting formations revolve. He sits beneath the rotations, organizes possession and supplies the insurance coverage when the wing-backs push on. Castaneda capped a wonderful summer time by heading residence Curda’s cross within the comeback win over Köln. In spite of everything these rumors, the Bundesliga lastly will get him with out anyone having to purchase him.
Laurin Curda, RB
No must get cute right here. Laurin Curda is one in every of Paderborn’s surest Bundesliga starters. The 24-year-old emerged as one of many excellent performers of the promotion marketing campaign, successful a outstanding 13.3 duels per match, posting the perfect one-on-one numbers within the 2. Bundesliga, taking extra photographs than any teammate and, for good measure, scoring the decisive playoff purpose towards Wolfsburg. The ultimate Köln take a look at equipped a neat abstract of his worth. Whether or not one calls him a right-back, wing-back or just the person occupying your complete proper hall will depend on which of Kettemann’s shapes is at the moment on the board. The one factor that doesn’t appear to vary is Curda being there.
The writer nonetheless likes the time period “rail participant”.
Losers from camp, Paderborn
Sven Michel, CF
Bear in mind Michel? The one surviving member from the 2019/20 Bundesliga roster. “Survivor” truly isn’t the right phrase. Michel returned to Paderborn following stints at Union Berlin and Augsburg, stints that qualify as forgettable sadly. Michel might be desirous to neglect this camp. A groin/thigh drawback suffered towards Osnabrück subsequently dominated him out for a number of weeks. That’s particularly unlucky as a result of Michel’s function was by no means purported to rely on successful a 34-match beginning job. The oldest Paderborner attacker enters the season making an attempt to get wholesome whereas Marino and Tigges make moderately loud instances for the minutes which may in any other case have been his.
Marcel Hoffmeier, CB
One other pure availability setback. A very irritating one at that. Hoffmeier had already misplaced virtually everything of final season after tearing his ACL in August 2025, having beforehand established himself as arguably Paderborn’s finest ball-playing defender. His passing, two-footedness and willingness to hold out of the again line made him essentially the most pure inner candidate to interchange Calvin Brackelmann, and he had not less than returned to the squad by the promotion playoffs. Then, simply as he was making an attempt to rebuild rhythm and stake a declare for a Bundesliga beginning function, a calf drawback interrupted his preseason once more.
Nyamekye Awortwie-Grant, CB
The previous Energie Cottbus defender was supposed so as to add physicality and competitors on the correct aspect of the again three, however a preseason harm was anticipated to sideline him for a number of weeks. Given how a lot defensive experimentation accidents already compelled upon Kettemann, Awortwie-Grant misplaced helpful time throughout the interval by which roles have been being claimed. That proved significantly expensive as Tjark Scheller strengthened his place and Jano ter Horst turned emergency responsibility in central protection right into a surprisingly convincing audition. The 25-year-old begins the Bundesliga marketing campaign taking part in catch-up.
Felix Götze, CB
This truly isn’t a good shake in any respect. The writer merely wished to level out that well-known German footballers have to be legally mandated to have youthful brothers named Felix. It applies to Toni Kroos as properly. Felix Götze has accomplished moderately greater than merely qualify as Mario’s youthful sibling. His summer time was nonetheless difficult by the adductor issues that had already affected him on the finish of the promotion marketing campaign. The late-preseason hierarchy presently seems to favor Tjark Scheller in the midst of the again three.
The skipper would clearly desire to begin, however must make do with being the late emergency striker for now.
Tactical Scout, Paderborn
And now the outcomes from the above-mentioned journey to the library’s white board. The writer feels a kinship with these tasked with drawing Paderborn’s formation graphic this season. Fortunately, the white board got here with an eraser. Ahem. Kettemann broadly prefers to start from a again three. His promotion aspect typically used a 3-4-3. Summer season projections moved towards a 3-5-2, 3-4-1-2 or 3-4-2-1. Preseason then produced all three, plus a 4-3-3 and 4-4-2. One additionally witnessed loads of in-match changes.
Kettemann views formations as beginning positions. A cross triggers a motion; the motion adjustments the project; the subsequent participant reacts. Promotion was constructed upon ball possession and fixed positional rotations. Paderborn averaged round 53 p.c possession, generated roughly 15 makes an attempt per match and produced the second-most aggressive PPDA quantity within the 2. Bundesliga. They have been a possession group, sure, however a considerably extra bodily and direct one than that description typically implies.
After all of the summer time experimentation, one positional fixed has emerged. Santiago Castaneda stays put. When accidents left Kettemann desperately in need of center-backs towards Magdeburg, the coach may simply have moved his 21-year-old holding midfielder into protection. He refused. Kettemann needed Castaneda accumulating repetitions and recycling possession within the precise function deliberate for him within the Bundesliga. Every part else can dance round him.
In a regular back-three interpretation, the surface defenders have permission to step into possession. Curda and Obermair provide width or transfer into increased lanes. Central midfielders rotate forward of Castaneda. The attacking midfielders can slender into the half-spaces. With out the ball, the construction typically drops right into a 5-2-3, however not essentially a passive one: the primary line needs to press whereas the midfield advances behind it and Castaneda protects the middle. In opposition to Osnabrück, this was significantly clear.
As for the XI, the ultimate Köln take a look at issues most as a result of Kettemann himself subsequently mentioned these starters had a slight benefit.
Lineup–SCP (PROJECTED)
Name it a 5-2-3, a 6-1-2, or perhaps a 7-2-1. As one can simply inform, it’s a back-axis-based rotation engine meant to emphasise security in numbers whereas producing loads of potential on the counter. One does divine that Duric could also be working as one thing of an eventual placeholder for both Vidovic or Ulrich. Likewise, Kettemann will want to get Zeitler and in the end Vidovic extra repeatedly concerned within the assault. The superior midfield place stays extremely related both method.
That participant, presently Duric, can work alongside Castañeda, drop throughout buildup after which advance when the subsequent rotation begins. Obermair (or his place) is perhaps essentially the most helpful shape-shifter of all. He can stay large as a wing-back in a back-three formation, then transfer inside when Paderborn construct via a 4. We already noticed exactly that towards Okayama. The assault isn’t completely forgotten or unexciting, simply not very crowded on this set-up.
Paderborn’s central summer time drawback wasn’t actually possessing the ball. Anybody with virtually zero soccer data can see how the above graphic is designed to get opponents both chasing infinite bow arcs or getting caught out on short-pass link-up play. It virtually appears like one thing Peter Bosz would assume up. That is exactly the type of “underdog” soccer one can sit up for all season. Typically, it is going to get the job accomplished.
It doesn’t really feel as many Paderborn matches witnessed this might be remembered long run. A few of the extra fascinating tales this membership furnishes may also, sadly, be pushed to the again burner. Deal with the Köln comebacks for what they have been value: semi-competitive affairs. There might be intervals by which Paderborn can not impose themselves. Köln proved that in stretches throughout each matches.
Paderborn’s system is demonstrably able to doing greater than crowding the again to interrupt up play. As we noticed within the pre-season scout, extra intricate targets will be manufactured. Whether or not or not they are going to be towards Bundesliga opposition stays a thriller, significantly contemplating the truth that marquee signing Gabriel Vidovic solely simply arrived and wasn’t current for everything of pre-season.
Paderborn can execute their mechanisms properly and nonetheless go down as a result of Bundesliga opponents will give them fewer probabilities, punish their buildup extra severely, expose the set-piece weak spot, and possess higher particular person problem-solvers. The “Graue Maus” doubtless seems to be on its method again to its hovel sooner moderately than later. Not a lot anybody can do about it.
Besides pay tribute by remembering, that’s.
Let a number of the tales dwell on inside you.
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