Eupen were one of the favourites for relegation this season. They entered the 2023/2024 campaign with a threadbare squad, having lost a number of key players over the summer. However, they did bring in a head coach who has Bundesliga experience in Florian Kohfeldt. Unsurprisingly, the side have been doing a lot of their shopping in Germany, with the likes of Alfred Finnbogason and Milos Pantovic joining the side.
After five games, the Pandas are in a surprising fourth place. They have won back to back games for the first time since September 2021. Both wins game against sides that could be in and around the relegation battle at the end of the season, and they were both 3-1. They have only lost once, which came against a rampant Club Brugge side. Three wins, one draw and one defeat is certainly better than anyone inside or outside of the club was expecting. He has certainly found a way to get the best out of Isaac Nuhu, with the young Ghanaian attacker scoring once and providing two assists so far. One of these was to Gary Magnee, who has scored twice this season and grabbed himself an assist.
Kohfeldt needed to rebuild his reputation following a disappointing time at Wolfsburg during the 2021/2022 season. Should he keep Eupen in the league, he will certainly have done an incredible job given the lack of resources available at his disposal. They could keep this run up, facing KV Mechelen and Standard Liege in their next two games. The former have been inconsistent, while the later have not won yet this season.
With a few days remaining, Eupen are expected to add a few more. The squad may look deeper by the end of August, and given their good start, the side have a solid foundation to build on going into the rest of the campaign.
GBeNeFNÂ |Â Ben Jackson
