Augsburg's Markus Weinzierl takes the club to new heights

The fanfare when Bayern Munich come to town is unavoidable. It consumes every part of the town, from local television, to the training ground, to the local bakery. For Augsburg, though, Saturday is just a little bit more special than normal because they're third in the Bundesliga at the moment.

"Either something special happened or we're playing Bayern at the weekend," joked defender Jan-Ingwer Callsen-Bracker with reporters.

He's right on both accounts: something special has been growing in Augsburg for some time, while the arrival of the runaway league-leaders offers an extra distraction.

"I don't know if this is the best time to be playing Bayern," Markus Weinzierl said at a packed press conference this week. "The timing is okay, I suppose."

"We have to deal with Bayern's class, it doesn't matter what formation we use. We must make sure their class doesn't shine."

But Bayern's Bavarian rivals aren't rolling out the red carpet for the German champions. After all, last season they ended Bayern's 53-game unbeaten run at the SGL Arena, surprising their southern rivals 1-0.

Augsburg's rise

But it wasn’t always this close between Augsburg and Bayern. Fourteen years ago, eight divisions separated Augsburg and the Bavarian giants. While Bayern went on to win the Champions League under Ottmar Hitzfeld, the small team from Augsburg was embarking on a massive mission.

At the turn of the new millennium, FC Augsburg had sunk to the eighth-tier of German football after plunging into financial oblivion. The city of 250,000 were wondering whether things could get any worse for their team.

Then came the now former club chairman, Walther Seinsch, to the rescue. Supported by a group of financial backers, he stabilized Augsburg's accounts, planned the move to the 30,000-seater SGL Arena and navigated the team through the lower divisions. By 2003, Augsburg had entered the third-tier and three years later a step up to the second division beckoned.

Dutchman Jos Luhukay, now coach of Hertha Berlin, achieved promotion to the top-flight and managed to keep them there. The little-known Markus Weinzierl took charge in the summer of 2012, after Luhukay moved to the capital.

With just a few years of coaching experience from Jahn Regensburg behind him, Weinzierl faced some early struggles. Augsburg had accumulated just nine points by the winter break of the 2012/2013 season, which saw them second-last and destined for relegation along with Greuther Fürth. That would have left a 20 million euro ($24.91 million) hole in Augsburg’s budget.

Weinzierl's impact

The winter training camp in Turkey in early 2013 was essential for 39-year-old Weinzierl. This was the chance to put right the wrongs of the first 17 games. The chance to re-group worked: Augsburg would rack up a further 24 points in the second half of the season and ended the season in safe territory.

This drastic turnaround in form was down to several fundamental ideas, many of which form the cornerstone of Augsburg's longevity in the Bundesliga now.

Forming the rearguard at the back, Ragnar Klavan and Callsen-Bracker became the two first-choice central-defenders and the pair would go on to play together in 58 of the next 65 games in the league. "We've built something special here over the last two seasons," Callsen-Bracker said.

Moreover, the move to 4-3-3 handed thoughtful midfielder Daniel Baier an opening to take control as the deep-playmaker. He was, and remains, a fundamental part of this team: he's the lynchpin of the team and regularly has the most touches when Augsburg are in possession of the ball. Last season, he was statistically one of the best in his position in the league.

'The Strategist'

Despite Augsburg's strong form in the second-half of 2012-13, the club didn’t have the finances to keep Ja-Cheol Koo to a longer-term deal. It was a shame considering he had complemented Baier and Hajime Hosogai well in midfield. But, sporting director Stefan Reuter, another key part of Augsburg’s rise to success, had already unearthed his replacement: Halil Altintop.

The 32-year-old Turkish international has since been a revelation for Augsburg; playing his hand in six goals (two goals, four assists) this season and orchestrating play exceptionally well in the final-third.

"Altintop is very important to us. He is a strategist and is strong on the ball," summed up Weinzierl. "His presence just helps us a lot."

And that's the crux of the plan: Augsburg have recruited well on one of the smallest budgets in the division, picking-and-choosing players who suit the strategic demands of the head coach. Tobias Werner, a journeyman winger, has enjoyed a sensational season, mixing it with the best players in the Bundesliga.

Meanwhile, the acquisition of Abdul Rahman Baba, the teenage Ghanaian left-back, has proven to be a masterstroke, as he matures and refines his game with every week.

Looking to the future, Augsburg’s fate seems safe. There is little chance of Weinzierl being prized away from the club in the immediate future. He has a long-term contract until July 2017 and has no exit clause on his deal, as Reuter noted on the German TV show "Doppelpass" show last Sunday.

Weinzierl himself summed things up, when he spoke to reporters after Augsburg's last-gasp win at Cologne that got them to third on the table. "If things are going well, they're going well."

In the Bundesliga, all good stories eventually come to an end. But, there's a feeling that Augsburg will be itching to make this one last just a little bit longer.