FC Augsburg wants to present a successor to Enrico Maaßen as quickly as possible. The talks started on Tuesday. There are many familiar faces among the candidates – the most promising candidate is probably André Breitenreiter.
Enrico Maaßen at FC Augsburg is history. The 39-year-old coach, who had been installed by manager Stefan Reuter, lacked support after Reuter’s withdrawal from the club’s front row and a weak start to the season. With a young, completely renovated team, in which many experienced top performers had left the club in the summer, he was unable to compete against strong opponents from the Bundesliga. FCA struggled against FC Bayern, RB Leipzig, SC Freiburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach.
But even against weaker opponents, the Maaßen team showed some frightening performances. The cup exit against third division club SpVgg Unterhaching, for example. Or the anemic 1:2 on Saturday against SV Darmstadt, a direct competitor in the fight to stay in the league. Maintaining the league will be FCA’s big goal.
The schedule and possible candidates
In order for this to succeed, the Swabians want to present a successor as quickly as possible. FCA sports director Marinko Jurendic did not name any specific names in a media interview on Tuesday. The discussions with the candidates have already started. BR24Sport gives an overview of the possible new coach.
Andre Breitenreiter
The most promising candidate is probably André Breitenreiter. In the summer of 2021, the now 50-year-old coach only needed a video call to convince Marinko Jurendic of himself and his footballing vision. After Jurendic, then sporting director of FC Zurich, closed the laptop, he knew: This would be our new coach. A year later, both celebrated arm in arm on the town hall balcony in Zurich. Breitenreiter had formed a team that was able to break the dominance of FC Basel and Young Boys Bern for the first time in more than a decade.
Breitenreiter apparently took the saying “You should stop when it’s at its best” very seriously and left straight away for Hoffenheim. The coach, who previously also coached TSV Havelse, SC Paderborn, Schalke 04 and Hannover 96, returned to the Bundesliga. After 22 match days, a 2-5 defeat against VfL Bochum ended his tenure in Hoffenheim last season. Since then, Breitenreiter has not found a new employer. It wouldn’t be surprising if Jurendic contacted him now and they found common ground again.
Stefan Kuntz
When the DFB had just fired Hansi Flick and was looking for a new national coach, the name Stefan Kuntz was everywhere – even though he was still the national coach of Turkey. When Julian Nagelsmann was presented a little later, Kuntz had already lost his job. The 60-year-old would have time to take on the task in Augsburg.
Kuntz’s profile as a coach who enjoys working with young players speaks for him. He coached the DFB U21 team for five years and won the U21 European Championship with players like Finn Dahmen, Niklas Dorsch and Arne Maier. All three are now in the FCA squad and would probably not be unhappy to see each other again.
Frank Kramer
51-year-old Frank Kramer also knows how to work with a young team. Kramer trained U national teams at the German Football Association (DFB) and headed the youth performance center at RB Salzburg. He also has a lot of experience in German football. Trained at SpVgg Greuther Fürth, he took over the cloverleaf role in 2013 after a guest appearance with the second team in Hoffenheim, including interim coaching for the first team. He stayed there for two years.
Kramer most recently worked at Arminia Bielefeld and FC Schalke. In Gelsenkirchen he had little success. After only two wins from twelve games, the ripcord was pulled early on the 10th Bundesliga matchday last season. Schalke still got relegated. Kramer could at least settle in quickly in the city. As a native of Memmingen, he brings a certain amount of local experience with him.
Bruno Labbadia
Darmstadt, Fürth, Leverkusen, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Wolfsburg, Berlin and Stuttgart again. Bruno Labbadia has already had a few positions in German football. The 57-year-old never stays in one place for very long. An average Labbadia term lasts 1.37 years. Nevertheless, he is an experienced coach who has experienced a lot in football and also knows what is important in the relegation battle. Maybe Augsburg would be a stop where he would stay longer.
More candidates
Joachim Löw has been looking for a job since his dismissal as national coach. The 63-year-old has repeatedly emphasized that he is ready for a new coaching position. The only thing that doesn’t seem to have been received yet is the right offer. Maybe Löw would become weak at FC Augsburg. But after 15 years as a national coach, the salary expectations could be outside the limits of the FCA.
The same applies to Ralph Hasenhüttl. Four years of the Premier League can increase your desired earnings a little. And at his previous station, RB Leipzig, he probably earned more than FCA could offer him. The Austrian is still an excellent coach – and perhaps he can be lured by his proximity to his home country.
Tayfun Korkut is a well-known face in the Bundesliga. But after his debut season in Hanover, he never really got back on track. No matter whether in Kaiserslautern, Leverkusen, Stuttgart or Berlin – he never managed a whole season. On average, Korkut stays with a club for 0.7 years. A value that still draws on Hanoverian times.
Sandro Schwarz has significantly better values there. Only at his last station, Hertha BSC, did he not stay in office for a whole season. He did good work in Mainz and Moscow. But at 44 years old, he is also a relatively young coach. It remains to be seen whether the team would accept that after Maaßen’s dismissal. Jeffrey Gouweleeuw had at least indicated on Saturday how he might feel about it. He is of the opinion: “That you can’t make it in the Bundesliga with only young players and a young coach.”
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Source: BR24Sport on the radio October 10, 2023 – 9:54 a.m
