Our next opponents: Caretaker coach Baum should stop downward trend

Position

The 3-0 defeat at TSG Hoffenheim last Saturday was FC Augsburg's eighth defeat in their twelfth league game and their fifth defeat in their last six matches. One with consequences: On Monday of this week, the club and its coach Sandro Wagner parted company by mutual consent. The former assistant to Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann had only taken over the job in Augsburg last summer and he did create a spirit of optimism there. However, after the defeat in Sinsheim at the weekend, "a dynamic had set in", said FCA managing director Michael Ströll and he added: "We wanted to continue on this path. But when you get to a point where you realise the head coach's conviction is waning [...], then you have a completely different situation. That was also the reason why we sought dialogue again on Monday and that impression had clearly hardened. What we hoped for did not materialise." Positive displays like the season-opening win at SC Freiburg (3-1), the home victory against Wolfsburg (3-1), the 1-1 draw in Cologne and a 1-0 win against Hamburg SV were always followed by disappointing performances. At the end of October, FCA suffered three bitter home defeats in a row within six days and even failed to score in front of their own fans against RB Leipzig (0-6), in the DFB Pokal tie against Bundesliga 2 side VfL Bochum 1848 (0-1) and against Borussia Dortmund (0-1).

Manuel Baum, who coached FC Augsburg between December 2016 and April 2019, will now take over for the remaining three Bundesliga matches of the year. Baum returned to FCA as Head of Development and Football Innovation and he will only act as caretaker coach for the final games against Bayer 04, Eintracht Frankfurt and Werder Bremen. The 46-year-old is now expected to ensure a turnaround while club officials search for a long-term coaching solution. "We're not just talking about tactics now, it's the values we define ourselves that will be important again at the weekend," explained Baum ahead of the game against the Werkself. Values such as willingness to fight and passion, seen as part of Augsburg's football DNA, but not always practised on the pitch recently. Baum wants to spark new competition in the team ahead of the clash with Bayer 04. "It comes down to every player, so it's important not to hide." FC Augsburg are currently in 14th place on ten points, just two points above the play-off spot.

Personnel

Baum will still have to manage without captain Jeffrey Gouweleeuw against Leverkusen. The 34-year-old Dutchman is out until further notice due to a torn knee ligament. However, there are sufficient alternatives available for his position in the back three. Most recently, new signings Cedric Zesiger (VfL Wolfsburg) and Chrislain Matsima (AS Monaco) as well as the USA U20 international Noahkai Banks were in the starting eleven. Keven Schlotterbeck is also an option again after serving a one-match ban.

The two new Augsburg players Robin Fellhauer (SV 07 Elversberg) and Han-Noah Massengo (Burnley) have often played in the centre of midfield. However, the experienced Bundesliga players Elvis Rexhbecaj and Kristijan Jakic are also an option, and their substitution in the second half against Hoffenheim last Saturday brought more security to Augsburg's game. Dimitrios Giannoulis (left) and Marius Wolf or Anton Kade often act as wing-backs. The latter moved from FC Basel to FCA at the end of August this year and became the match-winner a fortnight ago in the home game against Hamburg SV (1-0) with his first Bundesliga goal. U21 internationals Mert Kömür and Fabian Rieder are also responsible for attacking moves. Augsburg's home-grown Kömür has scored twice so far and set up two more goals. Only Rieder has been even more successful so far: The Swiss player, who was loaned to VfB Stuttgart from FC Stade Rennes last season, is an asset for Augsburg and leads the internal scorer and provider list with three goals and two assists. In attack, on the other hand, Phillip Tietz, Samuel Essende, Alexis Claude-Maurice and Elias Saad have not yet had the desired impact.

Problems

A quick glance at the number of goals conceded quickly reveals Augsburg's biggest weakness. Goalkeeper Finn Dahmen has already had to pick the ball out of his own net 27 times - making FC Augsburg, together with Heidenheim, the weakest defence in the league. It was not the first time this term FCA have conceded so many crucial goals in the space of a few minutes in the 3-0 defeat at Hoffenheim last weekend. "We got into the game well for the first five or six minutes, then had 25 disastrous minutes where we ruined the whole game," said former coach Wagner after the match.

The team had previously lost in similar fashion against Mainz 05 (1-4) and RB Leipzig (0-6) at home. Mainz led 2-0 after just under half an hour and even scored twice in the second half playing with ten men. It was even clearer against Leipzig, who were already 4-0 up at half-time - Augsburg allowed themselves to be outplayed time and time again. FCA also have room for improvement in attack. Centre-forwards Samuel Essende and Phillip Tietz have only scored once each so far. Left winger Elias Saad, a new signing from FC St. Pauli, has yet to score in ten Bundesliga appearances. Alexis Claude-Maurice, the FCA top scorer last season with nine goals, has also yet to score in nine appearances this season.

Performers

Augsburg's game is characterised by team unity, a high work rate and commitment. After TSG Hoffenheim, FC Köln and Bayern Munich, FCA have covered the most kilometres in total (1,452). It is also no wonder the Bavarian Swabians have put in the fourth highest number of challenges of all the Bundesliga teams. Their physical approach is demonstrated by 33 yellow cards - the most of all Bundesliga teams - and a total of 158 fouls, with only four clubs having a higher number. For all their aggression, Augsburg's successful challenge rate of 48% is rather modest. Things look much better when it comes to capitalising on big chances. Here, FCA even leads the ranking with 56%. The same applies to the number of different goalscorers: Twelve players have scored Augsburg's 15 goals to date.