After guiding Augsburg to a historical 8th placed finish last season, Markus Weinzierl will stay at the helm as he prepares for his third season in charge of the Bavarian club.
Despite not expecting a challenge at the start of the season, missing out on Europe was a big blow for them, just one point separating them from FSV Mainz and that elusive seventh spot in the end.
The 0-Fives nearly handed them that spot, taking just six points from their last five games, but Augsburg suffered a poor defeat away at Hoffenheim, and drew at home to Hertha Berlin – both sides who had nothing to play for – meaning their win against Champions Bayern Munich was of little worth in the end.
There were some very encouraging signs for fans of the Fuggerstädter last season, and after two seasons fighting relegation, they will be hoping last season’s venture into the top half is a sign of things to come.
Augsburg’s football has been based primarily on defence, with third-placed Schalke conceding only four less goals, as they managed the sixth best defensive record in the league, shipping just 47 goals.
Two of that impenetrable back line have left though, Ostrzolek played 33 times at left-back last year, and has now left for Hamburger SV, while defensive midfielder Kevin Vogt joined newly promoted FC. Koln. At 24 and 22, they were expected them to have more of a future at the club, but the money received for them has been invested well into the team, and will hopefully have more of an impact at the other end of the pitch.
Marwin Hitz should take over between the sticks this season, he was No.1 for 19 games last season, conceding just 20 goals and managing five clean sheets, and at 26 could well mould himself into the first-choice for the next decade if he continues to impress.
Callsen-Bracker and Klavan will again occupy the heart of the defence, while South Korean international Hong Jeong-Ho is a suitable back-up that may well take up more of a role than last year, when he came off the bench in 10 of his 16 appearances.
Ostrzolek leaving is a blow, but in signing Baba Rahman from 2. Bundesliga side Furth, they have a great prospect with experience at this level. He was touted for Arsenal and Manchester City in 2012, but joined Furth instead as he suggested they would offer "the best conditions in which to develop my career." Just two years later, he has earned his move to Augsburg, and at only 20 has a great career ahead of him.
Captain Paul Vernaegh will remain on the right, as he prepares for his fifth career at the club, while in Reinhardt and Philp they have very competent replacements. It is unlikely they will feature much though, with Vernaegh finally breaking into the Dutch national team aged 29, and looks to be hitting the peak of his career in his thirties.
Most of last season’s success came thanks to the strong midfield, and despite the loss of the influential Andre Hahn, they have kept Tobias Werner (9 goals, 7 assists) and Hatim Altintop (10 goals, 2 assists).
They have added to the centre of midfield, Feulner adds some more experience to the squad, a 32 year old that has had time at Bayern, Dortmund, Mainz and more recently Nurnburg. However, fans may be concerned that the age of the midfield is ever increasing – in their DFB Pokal loss this week, Altintop, 30, Werner, 29, and Baier, 30, made up the forward three behind the striker.
Options are there though, Esswein is just 24 and a left-winger with promise, though has only featured 11 times in the past two seasons, and will hope to return to the form he showed at Nurnburg between 2011-2013 where he played 53 times.
They also have Erik Thommy, a 20 year old starlet who scored 14 times in 25 matches for the Augsburg II side, forcing Weinzierl to allow him to make the step up ahead of this season.
Despite losing top scorer Hahn, who scored 12 and assisted 7 last season, they have added very well up front, no less than three forwards have joined the SGL Arena, to take the load off Bobadilla and Molders who didn’t impress last season.
Slovenian forward Tim Matavz is their standout buy in this window, a £3.5m signing from PSV that gives them a different option, a 6ft 4 target man that will hold the ball up for their star men in the midfield.
He should be able to plug the gap Hahn left in terms of goals – the 25 year old hit 24 in 70 in the Eredivisie – while more pressure will be on Raul Bobadilla to up his goals return. Shawn Parker has joined from Mainz 05, and Nikola Djurdjic from Greuther Furth. Despite not having superb scoring records for their former clubs, Weinzierl obviously likes what he sees, and they should provide stiff competition to go with Bance and Fetsch, who have returned from loan deals.
With just 47 goals last season, supporters will be hoping the new additions can add to the attack without feeling any after-effects of the loss of Hahn, while the defensive unit stays as strong as last season.
Pre-season didn’t give a huge indicator of where the team were in terms of ability, though Matavz (3) and Parker (2) will be happy with their goal return; and while a 1-0 loss in the b to Magdeburg was nothing short of embarrassing, they will no doubt welcome to opportunity to focus on the league from the start.
The Fuggerstädter will be in a group of sides that could finish anywhere from sixth to 16th, and will hope that if they keep their strong defensive mentality whilst adding more goals, they can sneak into European competition next season.