The Evolution of Sebastien Meyer

When Energie Cottbus blasted their way to the 3. Liga title and the Semi-finals of the DFB Pokal in Sebastien Meyer's first season in charge, they drew praise from all over Germany for the style in which they did so. After a brief, unsuccessful flirtation with a more 'pragmatic' style in Bundesliga 2, Energie reverted to type and recorded 4th and 7th placed finishes with the lowest budget in the division.

They were among the highest scorers in the League, but also became known for their incredibly leaky defence. A good watch for the neutral, while never appearing a serious contender for promotion.

In Summer of 2026, Cottbus and Meyer would change significantly. Their Summer recruitment, led by Arne Friedrich, signalled an evolution.

Oualid Mhamdi, Rasim Bulic, Louis Breinig & Anton Donkor added height and power to the defence, while Tom Geerkens added steel in the midfield area. Christian Conteh, Sirlord Conteh, Aaron Opoku & Dickson Abiama added serious speed in forward areas.

Their narrow, compact 4-4-2 mid-block brought strong performances in pre-season, and Energie started the season strongly. In 2025/26 they kept just 4 clean sheets all year. In 2026/27 they matched that tally after just 8 games.

They ended the season in third place, losing 4-2 to Nurnberg across two legs in the Play-Off. Meyer looked a broken man out on the pitch at Stadion der Freundschaft at the end of the game. His side had earned a draw in Nurnberg to tip the tie in their favour. They even led in the home leg, but a dramatic second half collapse meant they would remain in Bundesliga 2 ahead of the new season.

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In 27/28 the recruitment theme continued. Kelven Frees, Marcel Beifus, Emmanuel Iyoha & Jamie Lawrence added yet more height and power to an already towering defence. Nicolai Remberg & Max Christiansen added tenacity and quality in midfield, with Emil Hojlund adding a little more guile to the forward line.

Energie started the season with an incredible 10 clean sheets in a row. They secured promotion on the final day, with a 0-0 draw at home to Osnabruck, their 21st clean sheet in a season where they conceded just 16 goals.

A far cry from the high-energy, possession hungry side of the first few years of the Meyer era, Energie are now a narrow, compact and disciplined side. They surrender possession to protect space, and hit teams on the counter-attack with blistering speed.

One of the criticisms they encountered last season was their poor attacking record. 38 goals in 34 games was one of the poorest records in the League, and they'll need more quality if they are to stand any chance of surviving in Bundesliga.