SK Sturm Hoffenheim: Can Ilzer and Schicker replicate their Austrian success in Germany?

During the international break, new Hoffenheim boss Andreas Schicker replaced Pellegrino Matarazzo with Christian Ilzer, putting the band back together that led SK Sturm Graz to success in Austria.

It feels like a friendly takeover is taking place in Hoffenheim at the end of a long civil war that ended in the sacking of Pellegrino Matarazzo on November 11 and the immediate appointment of Sturm Graz head coach Christian Ilzer as his replacement four days later. Matarazzo’s dismissal was only a matter of time, given the tumultuous period the club underwent last summer.

In July, a series of high-profile sackings rocked Hoffenheim. Long-time managing director of sport, Alexander Rosen, and the head of football Pirmin Schwegler were sacked. In their stead, the club paid €1m to sign Andreas Schicker from Austrian champions Sturm Graz as the new managing director.

Rosen and Schwegler weren’t the only ones that had to go, either. Managing directors Denni Strich and Jan Mayer were also shown the door. Those sackings came after the resignation of club chairman Kristian Baumgärtner; a long-standing key ally to Rosen.

Gegenpressing's Matt Ford has described this summer's tumultuous time as a civil war. And the term fits. At the core of it all has been a power struggle surrounding former owner and long-term investor Dietmar Hopp and the influence of the all-powerful German agent Roger Wittmann and his agency ROGON.