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| From Goal.com |
There’s
a lot to be said for momentum in football, and when a team gets promoted it’s
not exactly uncommon for them to have a flying start in their new league – the
quality of opposition, sometimes, rendering irrelevant.
Somewhat
obtusely, one of the biggest problems for a promoted side can be to retain the
successful side from the season before despite the lure of a new, loftier
league; success can sometimes be your own downfall.
One
of Augsburg’s best players last season, Kees Kwakman, jumped ship in the summer
to join FC Groningen while useful squad players Ibrahima Traore and Lukas
Sinkiewicz joined Stuttgart and Bochum respectively. Traore and Sinkiewicz left
on free transfers while Kwakman’s fee is unknown but is not thought to be much
– so Augsburg were faced with the challenge of replacing important players
before their debut season in Germany’s top flight.
Manager
Jos Luhukay has managed to get in some prosperous talents for minimal fees,
with the likes of Sebastian Langkamp and Lorenzo Davids setting tongues wagging
while, in Sacha Mölders, FCA clearly have an intelligent finisher – as shown in
last week’s 2-2 draw with Freiburg, the €175,000 striker
getting both Augsburg goals.
And
it was Mölders who gave Augsburg their dream lead in their second Bundesliga
game – the 26-year-old forward breaking the Kaiserslautern back line, turning
in the area after centre-back Rodnei’s mistake and expertly firing into the top
corner.
Kaiserslautern were something of a
surprise package last season as Marco Kurz’ side finished seventh in the
Bundesliga, just twelve points away from a Europa League spot. They’ve largely
retained the successful side from last season, with Athanasios Petsos playing
the ‘destroyer’ role allowing the attack-minded midfielders to push forward.
Jan
Moravek and Christian Tiffert were the main protagonists in the story of ‘Lautern
2010/11 but, while Tiffert still occupies a similar – maybe more withdrawn -
position that saw him make seventeen assists last term (the most in
Bundesliga), Moravek has returned to parent club Schalke 04. In his place, Olcay
Sahan plays a kind of ‘number ten’ role.
FCK
lost three key players in the summer - Adam Hloušek was on loan from Slavia
Prague; their top goalscorer for last season, Srđan Lakić, has joined Wolfsburg
on a free transfer; and Moravek. The Red Devils, though, have attempted to
strengthen as they look to build on last season and avoid the dreaded ‘second
season syndrome’.
Both
sides lined up using 4-2-3-1 formations although neither were rigid in any way;
the ‘3’ swapped around a lot and central midfielders for both ‘Lautern and
Augsburg – mainly Christian Tiffert and Lorenzo Davids respectively – were keen
to get forward and counter whenever possible.
Tiffert
was the first player from the home side to really test Simon Jentzsch in the
Augsburg goal, hitting a low drive that proved difficult to deal with from
twenty-five yards. Itay Shechter, making his first start for The Red Devils,
would have been keen to impress his new employers and the Israeli striker would
have scored just after the half-hour mark had it not been for a superb Augsburg
block. Minutes later, the former-Hapoel Tel Aviv forward rolled centre-back Uwe
Möhrle and, if the experienced centre-back hadn’t recovered well with a superb
challenge, Shechter would have been clean through on goal.
The
second half was practically all Kaiserslautern – Augsburg ‘keeper Simon
Jentzsch repeatedly coming to the rescue of his side, most impressively of all
thwarting Richard Sukuta-Pasu with a strong right-handed save just minutes
after forcing substitute Dorge Kouemaha’s shot wide.
Jentzsch
was finally beaten, though, with ten minutes left; Shechter turning his marker,
finding the gap between three Augsburg defenders and smashing into the bottom
corner to equalise.
There
were late charges from both sides, the most significant of which involved
substitute Akaki Gogia - weaving his away through the Kaiserslautern defence to
shoot just wide and, a few minutes later, the same player hit the outside of
the post with a superb freekick.
Kaiserslautern
dominated possession (66%-34%) and both sides continued to attack right to the
end – a fascinating game but a result which will disappoint both sides:
Augsburg because they held on to the lead for so long and Kaiserslautern
because they would have been expected to pick up their first points of the
season in this game.
Augsburg,
though, claimed their second point of the season and, just like last week,
didn’t look out of their depth. A promising start to Bundesliga life for a side
who were in the Bayernliga – the fifth tier of German football – just ten years
ago. An incredible rise – and an impressive point.
FC Kaiserslautern
1 – 1 FC Augsburg
Shechter
80 Mölders 10
