Up until the first leg against Salzburg in the first knockout round, we had won all 6 of our league games in 2015 and were 3rd in the Bundesliga.
Salzburg proved to be relatively easy competition, and minus a few scares we won 8-4 on aggregate over the 2 legs. This meant we were through to face Leverkusen, another team that I expected us to beat quite easily, which we did with an impressive 4-1 scoreline on aggregate.
In between our Europa League games we stretched our Bundesliga winning streak to an impressive 10 games, up until a boring 0-0 draw away against Frankfurt. We also managed to secure a place in the DFB-Pokal final to face Bayern, after beating Regensburg 4-1 in the semi-final. It was now April and we were unbeaten all year so far, and genuinely started to look like title contenders.... surely not?
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We had reached the Europa League quarter final and were matched up with Marseille, a team who were contending for the Ligue 1 title themselves. Our boys turned on the style though, and a 4-0 win AWAY in France meant that we looked certain to head through to the semi-final, which we did with easy and were 6-1 up on aggregate.
Schalke, who I know dub to be our arch enemies, were drawn against us for the semi-final clash and to be honest they normally do pretty well against us and they're a team I fear. We managed to hold our own in the first leg at home though with a 2-0 win, which put us in a great position for the away game, which we lost 3-2 but meant a 4-3 win on aggregate for our boys and we were through to the final of the Europa League once again!
Before the final though, we had two league games left - against Bayern away and then Dortmund at home. With us sitting 4 points behind Bayern, the Bundesliga was an actual possibility, depending on how we performed in the two most important games of SC Freiburg's Bundesliga history.
Bundesliga: FC Bayern (Away)
First up, was Bayern, a team that could beat us at our place never mind their own. To have any chance at the title, we had to play our usual formation, and attack. We needed a goal. I have the utmost faith in our defence, but getting a goal against Bayern is extremely difficult with the team they now have in my game.
The first 20 minutes of the game were hard, with Bayern having numerous efforts on goal and Baumann having to match up to the likes of Ribery, Axel Witsel and Olivier Giroud. But in the 33rd minute of the game we took the lead, out of nowhere, Jonathan Schmid created himself an opening and put us 1-0 up. Having making it to half time with the lead, I had to change things around if we were to stop Bayern from succeeding.
I deployed the defensive pyramid that I used against Manchester United in the Europa League last season, and with Matthias Ginter on form as per usual, we rode out a hard fought victory that put us 2nd and just 1 point behind Bayern.
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We were now 16 games unbeaten in the Bundesliga, with 15 of those games being wins. I honestly don't know how we went on such a run, but it was incredible. Dortmund at home was another game we had to win, but if we did and Bayern either lost or drew, we would unbelievably take our first Bundesliga title.
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With our current form and team spirit, beating Dortmund wasn't the hard part, it was hoping a poor Kaiserslautern team would either defeat or earn a point against Bayern. Kaiserslautern had the home advantage, but either way Bayern we a way better team than them.
Bundesliga Last Game of the Season: Dortmund (Home)
After 3 minutes we were in front against Borussia, and were 2-0 up after 12 minutes. The first half came to a close and Bayern were still at 0-0 in their game which meant so far we were champions. We went 3-0 up in the 67th minute, which was followed up by a Borussia goal 5 minutes later. The clock ticked and ticked, still no goals in the Bayern game.
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The whistle blew, the fans were on their phones trying to find out the latest scores and then it happened, a group of fans began to sing and some began to break out onto the pitch.
Dubski gave me the news, 0-0, at first I was confused - in shock as such. Then it sunk in, we did it.
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SC Freiburg
Bundesliga Champions 2014/15
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Genuinely one of my greatest Football Manager achievements to date, and it was down to the amazing unbeaten run and winning streak that our team went on. I have to say that our strikers really did their job this season.
Stracqualursi: 16 league goals
Exslager: 12 league goals
Kleber: 12 league goals
But our season wasn't over yet and the partys had to be postponed; we still had two cup finals to go for both the Europa League and the DFB-Pokal.
Europa League Final: Arsenal (Neutral)
First up was the Europa League final against Arsenal. The first half was dull, but we scored just before the break which put is in a good position to take the game to Arsenal in the second half, which we did.
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Apart from a late consolation goal, we completely thrashed them and took the Europa League trophy once again. Our attack are in form and are up for any challenge against any opponent, and many people were certainly shocked by the sheer dominance in our play.
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Our boys got the double, and also their second Europa League triumph in a row.
DFB-Pokal Final: FC Bayern (Neutral)
It was now time to potentially wrap up a treble. The DFB-Pokal final was of course against the powerhouse that is Bayern, and although we may not have better players than them, I believe our team is definitely up there if not better than theres - or any other team for that matter.
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I guess we ran out of steam, and a 2-0 loss left a sour taste in the mouth of myself and our thousands of fans that turned out after such a fantastic season. Bayern are no doubt the best and biggest club in Germany, but I believe what we are building here is a great deal more special.
Our players showed tenacity and drive beyond any other team I have managed in the past. With a great deal of new finance pumped into the club, we can continue to expand and improve our structures and facilities, with the added ability to attract more talented players and staff.
Of course the pundits have put it down to my own managerial efforts, but without my back-room staff and the ambition of our players, tactics and substitutions don't count for anything.
SC Freiburg 2014/15:
A Bundesliga title, a second Europa League title, and one **** of a bright future.
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