Within the third of our 18 Bundesliga tactical previews to be launched right here on Get German Soccer Information, we’ll head to the Swabian part of Bavaria to see what’s up within the Fuggerstadt. Augsburg, like our earlier topics and , haven’t precisely had essentially the most convincing pre-season. The case of the Fuggerstädter nonetheless doesn’t actually engender as a lot concern amongst German soccer watchers. Why? Okay. In all honesty, it’s most likely as a result of we’re all keen about Sandro Wagner. Bare bias. We’ll simply get that out of the best way first.
We’ve all been ready for Wagner to start his membership teaching profession in earnest ever since he retired, returned from China, and took up his broadcast profession with DAZN. Throughout the horrendously lonely COVID nightmare and the sheer torture that was spectator-less Bundesliga matches, Wagner’s insightful coloration commentary received us by means of many a German “Geisterspiel”. One could be laborious pressed to discover a German footballing fanatic who didn’t assume Wagner would make an superior coach. A number of of us even harbored secret ambitions that he may supplant Bundestrainer Julian Nagelsmann in some way.
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In any occasion, all of us lastly get an opportunity to see Sandro coach a prime flight membership now. It isn’t the 37-year-old’s first rodeo, in fact. Wagner spent two years within the Munich suburbs teaching SpVgg Unterhaching. He helped the Bobsledders earn promotion to the three. Liga on the finish of the 2022/23 marketing campaign, really leaving just some months earlier than Haching knocked Enrico Maaßen’s Augsburg out within the opening spherical of the 2023/24 Pokal. Now, Wagner is charged with avoiding the identical destiny. If he fails, we’ll all be heartbroken. Nagelsmann’s seat stays tenuous sufficient.
FC Augsburg
Like Bremen, Augsburg opted to “trade-up” regardless of taking part in an excellent season final 12 months. FCA opted not solely to sack coach Jess Thorup, however do away with sporting director Marinko Jurendic. 5 losses within the closing six league fixtures definitely counted as a disappointment for a membership that had European ambitions final spring, however Jurendic at the least removed Stefan Reuter’s tendency to signal unhealthy gamers and axe the coach each spring.
Time shall inform whether or not the gamble works. It does seem that Wagner isn’t in a lot of a playing temper, nonetheless. Thorup’s 3-4-3 nonetheless stays in place. The brand new coach needs to maintain the automatisms in place and primarily function extra of a motivator that tactician at this level. Wagner’s taking part in profession featured so many ups, downs, and loopy sideways strikes that it seems he needs to be much more cautious relating to his teaching path. Leaving a pleasant soft DFB chair to return to this burg was dangerous sufficient.
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Main personnel shifts, Augsburg
Estimated Summer season Switch Stability = –€1.6 million
It stays far too early to evaluate the work of the brand new entrance workplace as the brand new crew of directors led by Benjamin Weber solely simply moved into their workplaces originally of final month. Marc Lettau and Julian Baumgartlinger haven’t actually gotten an opportunity to meet their squad planner roles but. Manuel Baum’s affect within the youth division will take years to attain. No less than the previous FCA coach can’t presumably find yourself doing a poor a job as he did in Leipzig. Managing director Michael Ströll bridged the work of the Jurendic and Weber regimes this summer time, by all accounts doing an admirable job.
Earlier than Jurendic was sacked, the previous FCA sporting director ensured that prime high quality central defenders Cedric Zesiger and Chrislain Matsima have been bought completely. Ströll oversaw the procurement , Troyes’ , St. Pauli’s Elias Saad, and Some first rate money for was secured for , Patric Pfeiffer, Lasse Günther, and . Ströll additionally pocketed mortgage charges for and .
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For as soon as, Augsburg possess a balanced squad and a manageable roster measurement. Few Germans thought of themselves followers of the work of long-time managing director Reuter, significantly within the final two years of his decade-long reign. The Bavarian-Swabians threw good cash after unhealthy and have been incessantly fortunate to flee relegation consequently. Sure, the author should get his compulsory “Bolt Soccer Holdings” reference in. A disgrace that such a captivating German city finds itself related to a U.S. investor. No less than the post-Reuter Period has helped us neglect {that a} bit.
Notes from camp, Augsburg
No “South African” getaway for the Fuggerstädter this 12 months. The Bavarian Swabians plunked Wagner and firm down in Austria. A complete of 9 pre-season friendlies have been contested. Two afternoon “twin-bills” in opposition to Rot-Weiß Essen and Crystal Palace have been contested. Oliver Glasner returned to his place of birth within the latter case to sq. off in opposition to Wagner’s fees. The FCA B-XI even bested Glasner’s Eagles within the nightcap. Previous to the large pre-season finale in opposition to Sunderland on the WWK-Enviornment, there was additionally an unannounced exhibition behind closed doorways in opposition to Pisa.
One of many large speaking factors from the final match issues the truth that the crew seemed fairly fatigued of their first actual stadium-match. Beginning striker Philipp Tietz – regardless of – additionally did not convert from the penalty spot. After the primary few “summer time kick-about friendlies”, Wagner hasn’t been large on using substitutions. The brand new coach clearly likes the thought of retaining a sure construction in place and needs his most popular gamers as much as full match health properly forward of the season.
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The internet hosting Bavarian Swabians really didn’t look terribly unhealthy in opposition to the English Black Cats. Sunderland constituted a reasonably tough final pre-season check. One nonetheless will get the impression that Wagner is likely to be accused of operating the lads ragged in throughout among the camp exhibition. Absolutely the key “snap-test” in opposition to Pisa was his concept. At this juncture, there’s nothing on the market to recommend that Wagner ran a Felix Magath-style camp. As far as this writer is aware of, all gamers had first rate entry to hydration.
Winners from camp, AugsburgKeven Schlotterbeck, CB
In opposition to all the chances, Nico Schlotterbeck’s elder brother has displaced Keven – a – fought his method again to assert an everyday place in Wagner’s back-three. Wagner actually believes within the 28-year-old, who really by no means even represented Germany at youth stage. Keven earned begins on each side of the “double headers”, in some instances donning the captain’s armband if Jeffrey Gouweleeuw wasn’t on the pitch. Keven went the complete 90 minutes within the closing pleasant in opposition to Sunderland.
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Many proceed to marvel why Nico is a €40m-valued German worldwide whereas Keven is a €6m-player who solely as soon as earned a Workforce D “pity deployment” on the Olympics. Bodily potential clearly performs a job. Nico is a shade taller and far faster. It’s nonetheless price noting that Keven has scored 10 targets in 128 appearances for Freiburg, Union Berlin, and VfL Bochum. Nico has netted 11 in 149 deployments for Union, Freiburg, and Borussia Dortmund. Keven has additionally notched two Pokal tallies while his hassle solely ever netted one.
Keven occurs to be fairly the “late bloomer”. He solely scored his first Bundesliga aim throughout his first mortgage stint with Bochum in the course of the latter half of the 2022/23 marketing campaign and has been tearing it up since then. Actually, it really shouldn’t function a shock that Keven punched his method upwards in camp. The Weinstadt-native is aware of the right way to carry out when he’s relegated to obscurity. By no means guess in opposition to this participant when his again is pressed up in opposition to the wall. He feeds on adversity.
Han-Noah Massengo, CM
The brand new signing from Burnley seems to have his midfield beginning spot secured. Granted, he didn’t precisely should combat his method by means of a crowded discipline of ultra-talented actors. Wagner was nearly too beneficiant giving Tim Breithaupt, Robin Fellhauer, Arne Maier, and Elvis Rexhbecaj additional time within the check fixtures. Maybe extra importantly than what number of minutes he logged on the pitch, the Belgian charmed the German media by incorporating German phrases in his social media, and adopting the identify “Hans” as a method of ingratiating himself into his new house.
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Massengo clearly is aware of that he has big boots to fill The Brentford loanee proved to be a real “box-to-box” beast. To date, what one has seen of Massengo off the pitch strongly suggests he can replicate Onyeka’s play. Off the pitch, he occurs to be only one damed cool dud. No German can refuse a participant who posts updates on his German tutoring and compares Sandro Wagner to Vincent Kompany. One seems ahead to writing loads of colourful tales about Massengo this season.
Steve Mounie, CF
Final 12 months’s whole switch flop grabbed a brace within the closed door exhibition in opposition to Pisa and scored a hat trick within the second “creampuff” pleasant in opposition to FC Memmingen. The heavily-capped Benin worldwide appears ready to shake off his disappointing first season (one aim in 16 league appearances) and as soon as once more attain the heights he did for Montpelier, Brest, and Huddersfield city. Wagner handed him additional minutes within the friendlies resulting from the truth that Samuel Essende will miss the preliminary three Bundesliga fixtures resulting from suspension.
It’s not a completely unhealthy concept to provide the 30-year-old a “mulligan” relating to his inaugural FCA season. Mounie missed most of final 12 months’s camp for private causes and struggled with damage all year long. In Wagner’s new system, Mounie can absolutely profit from the shorter crosses of the inwardly deployed buttressing help attackers. This 12 months, it might show the case that Mounie overtakes Essende supplied he makes the most effective use of his time because the quantity two striker behind Philipp Tietz.
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Losers from camp, AugsburgElias Saad, LW
The brand new summer time signing from St. Pauli did not reap the benefits of an damage to Alexis Claude Maurice. This was largely resulting from the truth that the Tunisian worldwide was hampered by damage himself. Saad skilled related poor luck while representing the Kiezkicker final season. We in some way at all times discover this extremely gifted attacker’s likelihood to make extra of a reputation for himself deferred. If Saad can’t maintain match, he might discover himself completely supplanted by the likes of Mert Kömür and even Yusuf Kabadayi. Germans definitely really feel for our outdated Futsal consultant.
Henri Koudossou, LWB
How way more developmental taking part in observe does a 25-year-old “prospect” want? Sigh. Evidently nonetheless extra. take with a few of us. Why is an thrilling younger German prospect headed again to the two. Bundesliga whereas Mads Pedersen stays on the roster? Oh properly. Typically one merely should defer to the opinion of the specialists. It may very well be the case that 18-year-old left-back Oliver Sorg could also be in for a check. Sorg managed to attain a aim in one of many RWE friendlies.
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Maximilian Bauer, CB
Bauer – along with – haven’t any actual future on the membership. Wagner gave them each minutes within the double-headers. The pair really didn’t look unhealthy within the second RWE match. Breithaupt nonetheless has no well past Arne Maier and Elvis Rexhbecaj in midfield, neither of whom can’t be loaned out as they sit on expiring contracts. The FCA coach at the least examined Breithaupt out within the back-three. Ostensibly, the results of that issues the truth that Bauer has one other participant forward of him.
Tactical scout, Augsburg
Right here – as – we’ll undertaking a lineup for the opening spherical Pokal fixture in opposition to Hallerscher FC. The East German opponents enter their cup tie having gained their first three matches of the Regionalliga Ost marketing campaign. Regardless of this, there’s no actual purpose for Wagner to likelihood it with both Saad, Claude Maurice, or skipper Gouweleeuw. Some slight reshuffling with the injured actors changed and we’re set.
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Lineup—FC Augsburg (Projected)
It is likely to be the case that we see Yussuf Kabadayi begin over Maier up prime. One other younger prospect, January pickup Aiman Dardari, makes a robust case for the XI as properly. Dardari, like Sorg, scored a aim in one of many pre-season friendlies. Sorg might begin above Giannoulis if the latter isn’t totally match. Breithaupt may also take the place of Gouweleeuw within the back-three, or begin in midfield whereas Kristijian Jakic strikes again. One finally trusts Wagner with all of the choices. The Period ought to get off to a strong begin.
Ahem.
“Hans” Massengo on the techniques board?
Give the author time.
It’s coming.
GGFN |