Football Season Guide

Last season was really good for them; they were inches away from qualifying for Europe this season. A really productive campaign thanks to efficiency and hard work. Their pre-season started with an unfortunate but somewhat expected big blow, losing talented boss Gerald Scheiblehner to Grasshopper Club Zurich. He was linked with several moves last season (including to his present employers) but initially stayed. He's been a huge part of what has kept this team in the Bundesliga. Mitja Mörec is his replacement, who only really has experience in the lower leagues. It's possible he was appointed in case the club are relegated, which is possible without Scheiblehner to keep them up. Their transfer activity was alright at best. Baier has joined to replace Vicek as their new goalkeeper, and he should be ok - if not, Oelz almost certainly will be. Impressive CM Diabate returned to Salzburg but with veteran Cvetko joining it's not really an issue. Huskovic gives them another option to ageing Ronivaldo up front, assuming the former can stay fit (unlikely). The rest of their acquisitions were uninspiring/opportunistic bargain basement buys. They're trying to do enough to survive rather than thrive. They've looked alright pre-season, focusing primarily on controlling games/frustrating opponents, which they've done fairly well at. They're going to encounter problems this season though; that's the worry. They're entering a tough campaign with an inexperienced manager, and with some of their better players yet another year older. They've lost some depth in defence, and may find creativity a concern without the likes of Noss and Dobras. Essentially, it feels like they could be in for a very bad campaign if they start poorly. They're well-organised and resilient but have little quality, and without Scheiblehner it should show a lot more. They might be ok, but there's a chance they'll be in the relegation battle.