Following a mild season, FV 08 Duisburg secures a spot in the upper division.
The Hochfelder's Disappointing Season:
Duisburg FV 08 has faced a rocky ride in the football district league. Trainer Mustafa Öztürk admits, "We fell short of our expectations, plain and simple." The team's dismal three-game losing streak towards the end of the season saw them slump to an 11th place finish in group 6.
Mustafa Öztürk recognizes the unbalanced playing field as the primary culprit. "We had numerous players on our roster, but the pressure was only on a few shoulders. performance-wise, some players fell short of the mark. That didn't help us perform better," he shares, pointing to his brother Ismail, striker Filip Dimeski, Housein Rasitoglou, and keeper Jonas Buschmann among the underperformers.
Compounding their woes, the team started the season with an astonishing 14 players injured. "Losing key players was a significant setback for us, no doubt about it. When we were without a few essential players, it felt like we were stuck," he laments.
Strategizing for the upcoming season, Mustafa Öztürk is exceptionally optimistic about the new signings on the horizon. Emin Uzun, a promising talent from Oberligist TSV Meerbusch, leads the pack of eleven new additions. Other prominent newcomers include Kevin Mouhamed (VfB Speldorf) and Davud Kocagogoz (SV Budberg) from the Landesliga. The Sistig brothers, Julian and Dorian, come from relegated FC Taxi, while Emre Yildiz (TSV Bruckhausen), Torun Can Gul (FSV Duisburg), Leandro Petric (GSG Duisburg), Yves Mbo (Viktoria Buchholz), and veteran Tayfun Yildirim (Duisburger SV 1900) have all served time with league rivals in the city area. Philipp Asamoah has been last seen playing for Kreisligist SV Duissern.
Training his sights on new personnel, Mustafa Öztürk comments, "We already had a good foundation, so we're not looking to completely reshape the squad. Two more players are still in the works. Once that's settled, our roster planning will be complete."
On the departure front, well-regarded players like Koki Okamura, Koya Shirahata, and Akira Karakawa are returning to Japan. Eren Güner is off to Landesligist Blau-Weiß Mintard, while Steffen Murke is trading greens for blues, taking the twin roles of player-coach at VfB Homberg II in the district league. Enes Balci (MSV Moers), Niklas Lange, Julian Gardocki (both VfL Rheinhausen), and three more players—Gold Toluhi, Mark Kiss, Eren Ates—are off to an uncertain future. "We've not only filled the void of our departing players but have significantly boosted the squad's overall strength," Mustafa Öztürk asserts, adding, "Our ambition is a place within the top 5. Ideally, higher."
Preparations for the upcoming season are set to begin on June 29th. The friendly matches scheduled include encounters with VfB Speldorf, Fichte Lintfort, Gelb-Weiß Hamborn, PSV Wesel-Lackhausen, Tuspo Saarn, and SpVgg Sterkrade-Nord. The club is likely to face their Niederrheinpokal first-round opponents on August 10th. Regrettably, their potential opposition remains to be announced.
"Mustafa Öztürk aims to improve Duisburg FV 08's performance in European-leagues, particularly the premier-league, for the upcoming season. He plans to do this by focusing on the new signings, including Emin Uzun from Oberligist TSV Meerbusch, and strategic additions from other regional teams."
"Despite the disappointing season last year, with the team finishing 11th in group 6, Mustafa Öztürk believes that football, and not just individual players like Ismail, Filip Dimeski, Housein Rasitoglou, and Jonas Buschmann, can help Duisburg FV 08 excel in sports and achieve a top 5 position, if not higher, in the upcoming season."
