Not another Şahin story: This Bundesliga manager is going all in now | OneFootball

Who would choose Augsburg when Dortmund, Leverkusen or Leipzig come knocking? The embodiment of the grey Bundesliga mediocrity? Sandro Wagner chose FCA, who with the new head coach finally wants to become sexy. Therefore, they are taking full risk together.

2024/25 was the most Augsburg season ever. Never anything to do with relegation, temporary minimal chance of Europe neutralized with a bad season finish, ending up in 12th place. Mission accomplished then? Unfortunately, yes.

However, the people of Fuggerstadt had actually expected more last year. The first indication was the presentation of the visually striking "Roman jersey" in August, which for the first time also appealed beyond the city limits. It was clear: Augsburg wants to stand out, impress - have an aura.

Jess Thorup and Marinko Jurendic felt the new self-confidence less than a year later. Despite a carefree season, the coach and sports director had to leave last May. The new coach fits better with the desired image: a passionate Porsche driver and most recently assistant coach of the German national team.

The dismissals of Thorup and Jurendic, however, also show that Wagner, unlike commonly portrayed, has not chosen an easy task to start his head coach career in the Bundesliga. That a comfortable finish in twelfth place is no longer enough was made clear by the Augsburgers in May.

So Wagner can't slowly find his way in, just see how the Bundesliga works and if necessary rely on the invincibility of the Fuggerstadt. He has to deliver. And that which none of his predecessors could deliver: attractive offensive football.

A hasty decision then? Wagner's contract with the DFB ran until after the 2026 World Cup. If Julian Nagelsmann were to fulfill his world champion promise even remotely, Sandro Wagner's reputation would also have risen. Success makes you sexy.

The best proof here is Hansi Flick. In 2014 he won the World Cup as Jogi Löw's assistant. His next head coach station was FC Bayern, where he won the triple. However, Wagner leaves the comfort zone of the DFB and risks his currently very good reputation at Augsburg.

📸 Matthias Hangst - 2018 Getty Images

If he has forgotten how quickly you can go from hero to zero in the Bundesliga, Nuri Şahin can certainly remind him. Also considered an extraordinary coaching talent, the 36-year-old had to leave BVB last season after just half a year. Since then, there has been no news of new offers from top football. His career on the sidelines has stalled. Wagner is only a year older.

A confident person, as he is, could rightly argue here that the world belongs to the brave. This connects him with the new FC Augsburg. Only the literal teamwork doesn't quite work yet.

Active football has been declared as DNA by Wagner. A big change for the Bavarian Swabians, who often played reactively before. This was particularly evident in the double test match against Rot-Weiß Essen. The first game from the FCA's point of view was lost 2:1. Both opposing goals resulted from counterattacks that came about after a loss of ball by the advanced Bundesliga team.

In the second game of the day, however, the new game idea fully worked out. Through continued intense play with and without the ball, the FCA forced a 4:1 victory. The significance of test games is certainly limited. Nevertheless, it suggests that the days of modest kicking in Augsburg are over. In any case, the coach wants to see a football that takes as much risk as he himself does in his own career planning. And they have, as Wagner himself noted after the Essen games, "still a lot of work" ahead of them.

This was taken up in the training camp. Whether it was successful will be shown in just under two weeks at the start of the season in the DFB Cup and then in the Bundesliga. The Augsburgers are already attracting attention. A first, small stage goal on the way to FCAura has therefore already been achieved.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 Christian Kaspar-Bartke - 2025 Getty Images