October 29, 2025 – 1:55 p.mReading time: 3 minutes
Sandro Wagner wanted to give FC Augsburg new impetus. But after a few months, the club is in a crisis of results.
Sandro Wagner is aware of the power of language. Since the start of the season, the FC Augsburg coach has used many opportunities to instill self-confidence in his team. After the 2-3 defeat against FC Bayern at the end of August, he said: “I don’t see that we have less quality than Bayern, maybe you see it that way, I don’t see it that way. I don’t see us being less quality in any position in the entire club.”
And even after the 6-0 defeat against Leipzig or the exit from the DFB Cup yesterday on Tuesday against second division team VfL Bochum, Wagner remained confident. “I’m totally confident in our players. And if I weren’t, I think I would be insecure. But I’m not insecure – zero point zero.”
But Wagner also faces headwinds for this appearance. The statement after the Bayern game in particular sparked some discussions. Mario Basler described him as “arrogant and arrogant” on Sport1, while Lothar Matthäus accused him of having a “wrong perception” in his Sky column. After the 6-0 loss against Leipzig, Stefan Effenberg criticized the porous defense and the – from Effenberg’s point of view incorrect – justification for the many goals conceded. “There’s something wrong in the defensive system. That’s incomprehensible to me. It’s also difficult to understand when you lose 6-0 and say we didn’t play that badly. That doesn’t fit,” he said in the Sport1 “One-two”.
The debates about Sandro Wagner are partly reminiscent of José Mourinho. The Portuguese also provokes with his manner and his statements, angering opposing fans and experts. But Mourinho also does this for a special reason. He wants to get his team out of the firing line during the crisis and draw public criticism on himself in order to protect the players.
At FC Augsburg, too, there is currently hardly any talk about poor individual performances from players. Mostly it’s about the coach Sandro Wagner. Mourinho’s tactics are working. “I think it’s good that they say ‘Wagner is to blame’ and that I act as a protective shield for the players,” said the ex-national player at the weekend.
Wagner’s problem: He has not yet been able to copy the sporting success of José Mourinho. Augsburg is in 15th place in the Bundesliga and has only managed two wins. A flattering success in Freiburg at the start and a home win against completely unsettled Wolfsburg at the beginning of October.