Bundesliga 2026/27 Tactical Previews | FC Augsburg
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Our subsequent Get German Soccer Information 2026/27 Bundesliga tactical preview installment takes a have a look at one of many three German soccer golf equipment for which the creator holds a membership. Augsburg get their flip. There exist so very many fond recollections of visiting this city and interesting within the deep footballing conversations with the locals of their curly lovable dialect. Deep affection and sympathy for the Fuggerstädter led to loads of grumpy and grievance-laden columns final 12 months.The earlier FCA items, along with that includes loads of anti Sandro Wagner rants, assailed this membership’s “Römer Rebranding”. The creator issued passionate pleas for Augsburg to get again its extra boring roots of banking and puppets.
The creator wasn’t alone in expressing this concept. Membership ultras too mocked the entire “Augusta Vindelicum” hype and implored the satisfaction of their hometown to get again to the fundamentals. Augsburg listened. Manuel Baum returned to initially “set up just a few guardrails on the native Autobahn”, then be certain that his staff quietly, comfortably, and largely anonymously labored within the far-right-hand slow-lane on which nobody would trouble, or certainly even discover, them. Effectively achieved. Bravo. Has Augsburg’s “Römer Rebranding” been deserted? In fact not. Method an excessive amount of cash has already been invested in outfitting the stadium tunnel and designing (no joke) marble-themed tricots to get the “AV” hats off the rack. The “Römerstadt Recasting” is right here to remain.
Augsburg proceed to move in divergent instructions with their head coach (regular and unexciting) and their advertising and marketing (a laughable piece of butch ambition). If all goes in keeping with plan, Baum’s staff shall end what they got down to do: safe a seventeenth consecutive season of Bundesliga soccer. Sure, that’s it. Mediocrity isn’t a derogatory time period within the land of the “Puppenkiste”. Simply maintain the staff within the prime flight in order that the “Youngsters Membership” can have a pleasant time circling across the pitch day-after-day. One doesn’t have to try for the European soccer of the Markus Weinzierl days. That doesn’t serve the “Youngsters Membership”. The little ones wouldn’t be capable to take pleasure in European nights below the floodlights because it’s previous their bedtime anyway.
FC Augsburg
Baum did a wonderful job stabilizing this staff in a 3-4-2-1. It basically appears as if the present roster was intentionally constructed to provide Baum one other 12 months on this secure set-up. In equity, the following technology of strikers stirs some pleasure. Membership managers have a protracted vary plan for extra formidable soccer in place. With a purpose to get the development venture of the Bavarian Swabian model of the everlasting metropolis going, nonetheless, one should first think about stopping “Rome” from burning. Embers of the Wagner fireplace nonetheless burn. As such, strikes over the course of the summer season largely fell squarely into the “secure” camp.
Main personnel shifts, Augsburg
Of their first full summer season in control of the FCA entrance workplace, directors Benni Weber, Marc Lettau, and Julian Baumgartlinger positively took the “Rome wasn’t inbuilt a day” method. The overarching precedence remained continuity. Baum – with apparently not an excessive amount of convincing – was persuaded to stay on as head coach quite than return to his earlier growth position. The 2 mortgage strikers who helped stabilize issues below him have been additionally retained completely. Augsburg paid €5m to maintain Rodrigo Ribeiro and a relatively modest €700,000 for Michael Gregoritsch. The pair provide Baum two very totally different choices: Ribeiro because the extra cellular developmental striker and Gregoritsch because the skilled goal man able to occupying defenders and holding the ball up.
The defensive work additionally adopted an admirably uncomplicated logic. Hennes Behrens arrived from Hoffenheim for €3.5m because the successor to Dimitrios Giannoulis on the left. Calvin Brackelmann joined on a free from newly-promoted Paderborn to switch Cédric Zesiger within the again three. Sima Suso – acquired from relegated 2. Bundesliga outfit Düsseldorf for €1.6m – provides one other younger choice in central midfield, although Han-Noah Massengo and Fabian Rieder seem to have firmly established themselves as Baum’s most popular double-six. Nothing particularly revolutionary right here. Good. Any true Roman can attest to the horror of getting “too many emperors” in a brief span of time.
With a purpose to make room for Behrens, Giannoulis was in the end bought on a quite neatly negotiated deal that included a pleasant with PAOK Thessaloniki. Zesiger likewise headed again to his homeland with Younger Boys. Collectively, the 2 defenders generated €7.75m in income. This group of executives additionally distinguished themselves from earlier managerial regimes by doing a superb job trimming the roster down. Complaints from the creator about poor squad stability below executives reminiscent of Stefan Reuter and Marinko Jurendic are lengthy forgotten. Michael Ströll and his administrative assistants moved on Henri Koudossou, David Colina, Maximilian Bauer, Elvis Rexhbecaj, and Oliver Sorg whereas additionally clearing a number of returning loanees and fringe items from the books.
Kyliane Dong, Elias Saad, and Aiman Dardari all obtained developmental mortgage outs. Yusuf Kabadayi headed to Rijeka for an additional 12 months as nicely. In one thing that counted as one of many larger surprises of the summer season – although not fairly as a lot as soon as one provides it some thought – the tanking Zesiger was merely shipped again to Switzerland. Augsburg have usually resisted the temptation to show each usable asset into switch income, nonetheless. Chrislain Matsima stays after the Crystal Palace transfer collapsed, whereas Mert Kömür has so far been protected against English curiosity regardless of a rejected €10m Hull Metropolis provide.
That final level issues as a result of the summer season might but grow to be significantly much less boring. Kömür stays probably the most beneficial younger property within the squad. Alexis Claude-Maurice has overtly entertained the thought of taking a “subsequent step” after two seasons as one in every of Augsburg’s difference-makers, and the FCA should not traditionally inclined to dam the fitting sale. Ought to both depart, one other attacking transfer turns into possible. For now, although, the general image stays refreshingly secure: protect the backbone, make wise replacements, clear out the muddle, and keep away from setting something on fireplace. Rome can wait.
Notes from pre-season, Augsburg
Earlier than truly entering into the outcomes, it should be emphasised that Baum employed far more experimentation in pre-season than one anticipated. Whereas he largely stored the 3-4-2-1 intact (generally a 3-4-3 or 3-6-1), no two midfielders paired collectively twice. The likes of Robin Fellhauer, Anton Kade, Fabian Rieder, and even Marius Wolf moved round fairly a bit. Wolf served as excessive up as a second axis attacking winger a number of occasions, one thing not frequently seen because the 31-year-old’s Köln days. We’ll fortunately give Baum the good thing about the doubt on this case, assuming that the FCA coach merely wished to check out his squad’s versatility quite than utterly trash this piece’s thesis.
With a smirk firmly implanted on his face, the creator is happy to report that the primary mild tune-up of the pre-season got here towards an assembled group often known as the “Swabian Choice”. He admittedly isn’t sure as to why this amuses him. One thing about Swabians being glad sufficient with themselves (or certainly something) to give you such a moniker is simply humorous. Whoever the hell the “Swabian Choice” occurred to be, they actually didn’t whip their Bavarian Swabian buddies into a lot form to face FC Saarbrücken one week later. Mert Kömür needed to snatch a late equalizer to protect a 1-1 draw. Keeper Labrovic additionally needed to bail the Bundesliga facet out late.
Baum’s staff barely featured any type of form in any respect of their first main pleasant. One positively noticed final 12 months’s 3-4-2-1 towards Bournemouth within the subsequent exhibition, nonetheless; or at the least what handed for it. The English Cherries, after opening the floodgates across the hour-mark, put 5 objectives previous their German hosts in a 120-minute scrimmage. Alexis Claude-Maurice and the intriguing Tim Schnitzer scored in fast succession to lend the match a remaining 2-5 scoreline. It’s essential to notice that Baum’s authentic XI held agency over the course of the preliminary 60 minutes. After the FCA coach put a wholly new XI on the pitch following the second break, every thing become a free-for-all.
The staff obtained an opportunity to follow a Sunday kickabout towards an beginner opponent subsequent. The “weekend warriors” from the Austrian city of Schwaz allowed the Fuggerstädter to internet a grand whole of 15 objectives over the course of 90 minutes. The completely forgotten Uchenna Ogundu notched a hat trick. Marius Wolf bagged a brace. Anton Kade additionally doubled up. For the love of all issues Holy Roman Empire, Nathanaël Mbuku and Tomas Kastanaras scored! One merely can’t take this end result critically. An creator reasonably obsessed (in true German type) with the best way golf equipment arrange pre-season friendlies will word that it nonetheless didn’t get the job achieved. The insecurity from the Bournemouth match remained evident.
Fluster and bluster carried over to the following pleasant towards US Sassuolo on the WWK Enviornment. Noahkai Banks dedicated a foul (truly simply exterior the realm) within the first half, enabling the visitors to take the lead from the penalty spot. Keeper Finn Dahmen then helped the Italians double the benefit by aimlessly wandering off his line. To their immense credit score, Baum’s facet continued to combat and really pulled out a victory. Robin Fellhauer headed in a cross from Marius Wolf to tug one again. Shortly earlier than halftime, Anton Kade tied the rating at 2–2: Following a protracted ball from Keven Schlotterbeck, he lobbed the ball over an onrushing defender. Hennes Behrens scored the winner shortly after the break. Regardless of loads of probabilities, the hosts weren’t in a position to prolong their lead.
The rollercoaster experience of preseason outcomes however continued. Similar to within the opening paragraph, we should as soon as once more pose the query: Did Baum truly get the correct memo? The one about how he was supposed to maintain this staff working at “development velocity”? For the second time amid the slate of exhibition fixtures, the Fuggerstädter drew a spanking from Premier League opposition. A 5-2-3 completely did not match up towards Leeds within the remaining pleasant. Baum’s fees fell behind 0-3, initially crushed by an early aim from German worldwide Anton Stach.
The German visitors appeared rudderless and helpless towards the Peacocks, by no means even actually coming near manufacturing an actual scoring likelihood. Finn Dahmen made a number of saves that prevented Leeds from including to their tally. The truth that it was, in any case, an exhibition match additionally led to Leeds intentionally downshifting after the third aim. Augsburg nonetheless produced nothing of word past barely higher defending within the second 45. One other former German worldwide, Lukas Nmecha, capped proceedings with the 4-0 within the 82nd minute.
Tactically, Baum’s crew have been a bit all over. At occasions the staff re-formatted right into a 3-4-3 in an effort to get some ahead thrust going. It produced zilch. Robin Fellhauer performed three positions, one thing truly not unusual for him. The 28-year-old was however uncommonly unhealthy as a left winger, central midfielder, and proper wingback. This end result occurs to be absolutely the last item Augsburg wanted with an away Pokal fixture towards Energie Cottbus developing subsequent weekend. Issues can rapidly get dicey.
Oh nicely.
Rome wasn’t burnt in a day!
Winners from camp, Augsburg
Uchenna Ogundu, CF
Baum’s competition that Michael Gregoritsch and Rodrigo Ribeiro might probably co-exist in a two-striker set seems to be nothing greater than sizzling air. In reality, neither one of many candidates to steer the road appeared particularly good through the prep part. The creator nonetheless provides Gregoritsch the nod in what didn’t precisely quantity to a gladiatorial battle royale. The participant we’re at present discussing completely doesn’t seem like a beginning XI candidate, however at the least managed to remind everybody that he nonetheless exists. A hat trick within the totally meaningless 15-goal Schwaz demolition naturally proves little or no. Ogundu emerges from camp with one thing he didn’t actually possess beforehand: a believable argument for inclusion within the attacking rotation.
Nobody ought to mistake that for a breakthrough simply but. Gregoritsch stays the most secure choice, Ribeiro the extra closely invested developmental venture, and Baum has sufficient attacking our bodies to make sure that minutes gained’t merely fall into Ogundu’s lap. The creator occurs to assume Steve Mounie most likely will get one other shot (and doubtless deserves one below the correct coach) earlier than Baum pencils the 20-year-old in. Nonetheless, preseason exists partly in order that gamers can earn themselves one other look. Mission achieved. Don’t ship him out on mortgage like Mounie! Let the child dangle round!
Marius Wolf, RW
Sure, this truly seems prefer it may work. At the very least that’s what one would have stated previous to the ultimate pleasant. Wolf genuinely shocked in a few of the scouted matches. Name the creator loopy, however deploying the 31-year-old a lot increased up the pitch truly appeared to breathe some life again into him. Baum repeatedly used Wolf as a second-axis attacking winger, one thing not frequently seen since his Köln days. He bagged a brace within the Schwaz rout and, extra considerably, provided the cross for Robin Fellhauer’s comeback aim towards Sassuolo. The legs might not be suited to endlessly bombing up and down a whole flank. Give him much less grass to cowl and some extra alternatives to assault the field, nonetheless, and there may nonetheless be one thing helpful left.
Naturally, Leeds then arrived to smash all of the enjoyable. Wolf was a part of a collective attacking failure within the remaining tune-up and hardly provided compelling proof that this experiment deserves to grow to be a everlasting fixture. Nonetheless, Augsburg aren’t precisely asking him to set the world ablaze. On the very least, he can function a placeholder on the left attacking flank till a reinforcement arrives or maintain Fellhauer’s pure place on the fitting heat till that – the squad’s weakest place -gets sorted. If Baum can squeeze just a few productive attacking cameos out of the veteran, that already counts as a minor preseason victory. Possibly the outdated Wolf nonetheless has just a few bites left in him. It’s not fairly time to take him to the vet but!
Yannik Keitel, CM
Sure, this truly seems prefer it may work as nicely. Once more, that was till the ultimate pleasant. Profiting from absences of Kristijan Jakic, Sima Suso, Alexis Claude-Maurice, and Anton Kade, the VfB Stuttgart loanee logged loads of minutes in midfield and in addition as a makeshift central defender. This will likely all imply little or no as soon as aggressive play will get began. Keitel additionally benefitted from Han-Noah “Hans” Massengo’s late bout of sickness. It’d show the case that Keitel finally ends up being nothing greater than this season’s model of Jakic, a “plug-man” for at any time when a physique is required on the back-three axes.
That also constitutes an improve for him. The truth that we’re discussing who will get to be the person who replaces Jakic at membership stage at the least gives some assurances that we’re again within the boring area this membership must be in. Keitel truly wasn’t a boring participant throughout his Freiburg days and many people Bundesliga diehards by no means felt just like the 26-year-old bought a good shake at Stuttgart. Keitel’s part dovetails with Wolf’s in additional methods than one. Having Keitel serve within the midfield frees up Rieder to take the left-hand attacking slot till an answer could be discovered.
Hennes Behrens, LB
Get to know the identify. The 21-year-old already confirmed throughout his Heidenheim mortgage that he might deal with Bundesliga soccer, pushing aggressively up the left and supplying real attacking high quality from deep. Earlier than that, TSG II used him in quite a lot of positions. He’s a mini-Fellhauer. There’s significantly extra versatility right here than the positional label suggests. Augsburg now look set to reap the profit. Behrens has been energetic all through the summer season, scored the winner towards Sassuolo, and seems completely suited to inheriting Giannoulis’ position. The creator expects him to make his mark for each membership and nation at U21 stage sooner quite than later.
Tim Schnitzer, CM
Get to know this identify too. In Schnitzer’s case, it’s quite tough to overlook. One letter faraway from “Schnitzel” works completely for German soccer followers. The Augsburg native has been with the membership because the U10s, routinely performed above his age group, captained the U17s, and earned a long-term skilled deal earlier than ultimately making his Bundesliga debut towards Leipzig final March. Now 18, Schnitzer featured from the opening summer season pleasant onward and provided one of many few genuinely encouraging moments towards severe opposition when he scored within the 5-2 defeat to Bournemouth. There ought to be room for the teen to gather significant senior minutes. No have to slice this specific Schnitzel too skinny simply but.
Noahkai Banks, CB
Most of us Bundesliga chroniclers already know this identify. A few of us nonetheless overlook tips on how to spell the primary identify regardless of having written dozens of articles about him. The 19-year-old began all however one of many six preseason check fixtures. Working central with Schnitzer to his proper within the Schwaz rout, he added a aim within the (albeit meaningless) pile-on pleasant. Some might not assume that six pre-season begins are related, however the creator has a sense that 35-year-old skipper Jeffrey Gouweleeuw can’t hack because the again three anchor in each final match. Banks’ deployments appeared rather more than a easy audition. Gouweleeuw can take it a bit simpler, coming in to affect matches later.
Losers from camp, Augsburg
Alexis Claude-Maurice, ATTM
The famed “Lupenreiner” Frenchman has needed to battle with each damage and outgoing switch rumors. The 28-year-old turned in respectable sufficient manufacturing numbers (5 Bundesliga objectives and 6 assists final season), however collected all however two of his scorer factors throughout an particularly sturdy type surge between mid January and late March. Baum’s surplus of strikers on this squad possible interprets to forwards getting the attacking deployments on the buttressing assist axis. There’s merely no room for Claude-Maurice, who additionally occurs to be coming into the ultimate 12 months of his contract.
Sima Suso, CM
One pre-season begin within the defensive ranks adopted by an damage. The 21-year-old didn’t get his correct likelihood to audition for Jakic’s position. Massengo and Rieder stay the popular pairing, Keitel took benefit of the absences to log helpful minutes, and Baum even spent components of camp repurposing different gamers in central areas. Suso due to this fact enters the season as extra of a developmental depth piece than an instantaneous challenger. Given his age and the comparatively modest funding made in him, that hardly counts as a catastrophe. It merely implies that the brand new arrival’s first actual audition has been postponed.
Tim Breithaupt, DM
Ugh. This one falls squarely into the “when is that this going to be over?” class. Since becoming a member of Augsburg on a €2.5m switch from KSC in the summertime of 2023, it’s been all downhill for this 24-year-old. Breithaupt arrived as a extremely regarded Germany youth worldwide after 57 2. Bundesliga appearances for Karlsruhe, however by no means progressed past 18 Bundesliga outings for the FCA. Sixteen of these got here in his debut season; by 2024/25 he had successfully disappeared from the rotation earlier than Augsburg despatched him first to Kaiserslautern after which Düsseldorf on successive 2. Bundesliga loans. Each have been wretched. Breithaupt obtained a proper wingback audition this summer season and it was nauseating. Please don’t ship him again to Lautern!
Calvin Brackelmann, CB
A extremely touted summer season signing might find yourself being the following Patric Peiffer, whom some will recall was signed away from promoted Darmstadt forward of the 2023/24 marketing campaign and by no means made a Bundesliga breakthrough. With Chrislain Matsima staying, Keven Schlotterbeck has the left-hand-side middle again place nailed down. As famous above, Banks is the popular choice on the fitting. The back-three often is the solely true consistency in Manuel Baum’s squad proper now. Naturally, this might all change if Matsima or Schlotterbeck do find yourself departing earlier than the switch window closes.
Finn Dahmen, GK
This appears virtually sacrilegious, however the German nationwide staff contender merely hasn’t had an excellent camp. One suspects it could have one thing to do with the brand new goalkeeping coaches or the truth that the 28-year-old is considerably distracted upon coming into the ultimate 12 months of his contract. Dahmen wandered aimlessly off his line to reward Sassuolo their second aim and endured a number of different shaky moments through the check slate, even when he later prevented the Leeds humiliation from changing into considerably worse. None of this critically threatens his standing as Baum’s undisputed No. 1. It does, nonetheless, depart Augsburg with yet one more barely uncomfortable challenge to resolve earlier than the season begins.
Tactical Scout, Augsburg
To select up on an working precept articulated above, we’ll be giving Baum the good thing about the doubt for the needs of this evaluation. In reality, Baum actually might not have any type of alternative. What experimentation he did check out failed miserably towards opponents price their salt. As Bundesliga lovers (hopefully very a lot of them) get away the pens and circle potential Pokal fixtures to observe, Augsburg’s journey to Cottbus stays greater than worthy of your time. It’s actually higher than the competing 13:00 SV Wehen Wiesbaden-Bayer 04 Leverkusen providing.
Will the newly promoted Ossies dump the Bavarian Swabians out of the Pokal? It could be that we have now our first main upset brewing. The very last thing Baum (and the membership’s costly Römer-rebranding) wants is a repeat of the Enrico Maaßen Unterhaching match three years in the past. For that matter, after final 12 months’s residence elimination below Wagner towards Bochum, there’s certainly nonetheless gamers on this staff a bit nervy about taking part in cup soccer. It thus can’t be emphasised sufficient that Baum should deploy his strongest XI instantly right here. If all of it comes right down to nothing greater than marching orders and muscle reminiscence…nicely…that’s fairly Roman!
It’s not the toughest process on this planet to venture this:
Lineup–FCA (PROJECTED)
This FCA member proudly stands by this projection. If Baum retains it in place, Roman auguries forecast a hard-fought 1-0 victory! Don’t doubt the tactical prowess of a author who (one 12 months on) remembers he as soon as promised to begin utilizing the identify “Hans Massengo” on the ways board. He additionally hasn’t forgotten that brick the membership as soon as despatched him or the three,472nd Sandro Wagner interview piece he opted to choose up.
It’s most likely for the very best to chop the stroll down reminiscence lane quick for now, for the good thing about each the readers and author alike. Suffice to say that Baum can fulfill his mission of protecting this staff completely mediocre and safely anchored in mid desk in order to guarantee extra fantastic footballing afternoons on this beautiful little city. By the point the spring e book truthful rolls round, that’s completely acceptable to the native inhabitants anyway.
Is it doable that Augsburg can hope for extra? Certain. The likes of Rieder and Massengo have been among the many leaders in Bundesliga “pre-assists” final season. If Baum can ultimately get the staff settled and a few accidents clear up, the present double-six axis possesses the potential to feed the assault. Reider can transfer again to pair with Massengo. Kade or one other signing can take over his place.
Yet another pure left flank attacker pick-up on the switch market might even warrant a 4-2-3-1 re-format with the extremely gifted Kade working as a No. 10. After which? We’ve gotten too far forward of ourselves already. That’s exactly what nobody related to this membership must do. Simply follow the marching orders and maintain within the Autobahn’s right-hand lane.
That’ll do for now.
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