It initially looked as though Augsburg were going to continue their flying start to the season. The Fuggerstädter were top of the Bundesliga table for the first time after the opening two matchdays. With 11 goals in four games, they’ve also smashed the previous club record of seven. And in Bremen, FCA had a seemingly comfortable 2-0 lead after just over an hour of play. Yet Augsburg allowed Werder back into the game and instead of heading back down south with three points, they conceded three goals and lost 3-2 on the last matchday.
“When you’re leading 2-0 away from home, you have to come away with at least a point, but we fully deserved to lose,” bemoaned FCA head coach Manuel Baum after the final whistle. “We were already too agitated on the ball in the first half and were missing our biggest strength in the second half: defending as a collective. Bremen played well in the second half but we also contributed with our mistakes. Now we’ll look back over the match and use the next two weeks to work on these points.”
Strengths in transition
So the Augsburg management were able to use the unusually long international break to refocus on their own strengths ahead of the upcoming meeting with FC Bayern on Saturday (15:30 CEST). FCA don’t need to dominate their opponents for 90 minutes to be successful. Only promoted side FC Schalke 04 have had less of the ball so far this season than Augsburg, who’ve registered an average of 41 percent possession. The pass completion rate of 79 percent is also below average. Instead, they look to launch swift counter-attacks from a compact defence – like they did in the first 60 minutes in Bremen.
The first goal from Robin Fellhauer came on the break, while the second was a header by Calvin Brackelmann from a corner. No other team in the current Bundesliga campaign have registered as many shots on goal after counter-attacks than FCA: nine attempts have resulted from such situations, with two leading to goals. Augsburg’s three headed goals is also a league high. One set-piece situation or one well-worked transition is often enough to steer a match in their favour – something the German champions also experienced for themselves in the last meeting in January.
A score to settle
Bayern seemingly had things under control in the home match against Augsburg on Matchday 19 of last season. The Munich men led 1-0 for a long time, had 74 percent possession and significantly more of the play. However, with 15 minutes left, Arthur Chaves’ header from a corner levelled the score. Ten minutes later, Hans-Noah Massengo’s strike clinched victory for the visitors.
It was not just the only league defeat of the season for Vincent Kompany’s side, but also the only one in the last 47 Bundesliga games. So Bayern have been warned – especially as Augsburg have impressed on home soil recently. Since Baum’s return to the dugout last December, FCA have only lost one of 13 Bundesliga home matches: a 5-2 reverse against VfB Stuttgart in March.
Despite the defeat in Bremen, Augsburg can go into the next encounter with their Bavarian rivals with plenty of confidence. With seven points, the Fuggerstädter are within touching distance of Bayern, who have 10 points on the board. Harry Kane and Co can therefore expect a tough afternoon’s work if they want to widen the gap from their neighbours.
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