There isn’t a noteworthy hill in Augsburg’s urban area, at least not where the houses of around 300,000 residents are located. The height of the center is given as 494 meters above sea level, according to the city hall the town hall has to be content with 489 meters. In order to get well over 500 meters, a trip to the outskirts is necessary in Augsburg. For example in the southwest with the rural district of Bergheim, which bears its name with good reason because a hilly forest area extends to the west of it. The alternative is the excursion destination Müllberg in the north on the A8 motorway. This is also popular because it is no longer recognizable as such thanks to the grass growth and towers above the surrounding area at 512 meters above sea level, including a distant view of the down-to-earth city. But these exceptions only confirm the rule that Augsburg is on level ground.
Despite this topography, some things at FC Augsburg are reminiscent of Greek mythology and the figure of Sisyphus. He always failed because he had to roll a boulder all the way up a steep slope. Before this season at FCA, they set themselves the similarly difficult task of developing an attractive and constructive style of play with more possession after years of starvation at a low level. The first positive impulses from the new coach Enrico Maaßen could already be seen in the previous four competitive games in the Bundesliga and the DFB Cup. Nevertheless, the 38-year-old football teacher could feel a little like Sisyphus. Because the reconstruction at FC Augsburg before the game at TSG Hoffenheim this Saturday is also characterized by the motif of recurring setbacks.
“There’s always a chance that you’ll collapse”: Coach Maaßen tries to find something positive to say about the many injuries
At FCA, it’s not a stone that keeps rolling down the mountain. At the Bundesliga club, they struggle with the fact that supporting pillars keep buckling during their construction work. If they’ve just made progress in the game culture, the foundation is already crumbling and they have to repair it makeshift. Shortly before the start of the season, six-man Niklas Dorsch suffered a fracture of his left metatarsal during the dress rehearsal against Stade Rennes. Because he will be out for a few more weeks, the recently unemployed midfielder Julian Baumgartlinger, 34, has been signed.
In the 2-1 draw against Mainz last Saturday, central defender Felix Uduokhai, who was placed half-left, tore his syndesmosis. He will also be absent for a long time. This also applies to his similarly important defensive colleague Reece Oxford after knee surgery. In addition, central defender Frederik Winther is injured for the game in Hoffenheim, as is offensive player André Hahn, another pillar of the past few years. Noah Sarenren Bazee and Tobias Strobl have been on sick leave for a long time after torn cruciate ligaments.
“The injuries are not nice, it’s important players who break away,” says Maassen. He tries to see it positively: “The situation that so many are missing is always a chance that you will collapse.” You just have to be creative. Maassen is already convinced of the path he has taken, and he does not want to be deterred from it, despite the precarious staffing level. “We have to remain courageous,” Maassen demands. Bringing more consistency to the good approaches is the next learning goal. In addition, his team should dare to play into the spaces in the last third more often in order to create more chances.
With a back four they would start from scratch in Hoffenheim
For the Augsburg coach, however, the question arises as to how he will absorb the absences. Only captain Jeffrey Gouweleeuw, 31, and Maximilian Bauer, 22, are still available as specialists for central defense. The latter transferred from SpVgg Greuther Fürth to FCA on a free transfer this summer. In the past few weeks, access has benefited from the absences of colleagues and completed three of the four competitive games over 90 minutes. Now the people of Augsburg are even dependent on his services.
A trained central defender is already missing for the system with a three-man chain in defense that has always been practiced under Maaßen. Either a colleague from another part of the team would have to take over the unfamiliar position or a back four would have to be called up for the first time. However, that would have the disadvantage that everything that Maaßen practiced with the entire team in his more than two months of development work would now look different. Because with a new basic arrangement, the running and pass paths, their angles, the entire statics also change. With a back four, they would start from scratch in Hoffenheim. Sisyphus says hello. Even without mountains and stones.
