Football Season Guide

The whispers in Austria are getting louder - Red Bull Salzburg simply aren't that good anymore. An argument could be made to say that the last natural gem of a player they owned has now gone with Ajax picking up Gloukh for a bit of a bargain price, to be honest. Salzburg's youth prospects are nothing on what they used to be; that's the cold, hard reality here. In recent years, their recruitment at youth level simply hasn't been good enough. Subsequently, whilst they've been selling their best players as per their usual business model, they've seldom actually replaced anyone - and it's beginning to show. They remain one of the best teams in Austria, of course. They were in the title race last season despite barely playing a single good game of football; something similar would not be a surprise this time around. However, with Gloukh and Samson Baidoo having left, they're short of quality now, at least by their own lofty standards. Goal-scoring is likely to become a problem for them this season. Gloukh has gone, Yeo starts the season injured, and the likes of Daghim and Nene are too inconsistent. Onisiwo has been a failed signing; he's nowhere near what they need. Vertessen is good but that's it. It's not enough to make them into an intimidating force. Unless the likes of Alajbegovic and Kitano settle in quickly, chance creation will also be a problem. CM is starting to look weak for them too. They weren't hesitant about losing Capaldo but with Kawamura always injured, they're asking a lot for youngster Diabate/Sulzbacher to step up and compete with the likes of Bidstrup and Kjaergaard, the latter of which is very injury-prone nowadays. Diambou no longer seems to be counted on as a potential starter. Central defence is a concern too. They intend to play Mellberg more this season, which isn't so much of a risk - he looked good last season. There's not much depth at CB unless they bring Piatkowski back into the fold following his loan though. LB is another concern - Guindo and Terzic always injured so they've brought Kratzig in, which is yet another youngster to rely upon. They've taken lots of gambles, Salzburg, and it's hard to know how things will pan out for them. Their football isn't great, they're relying on familiar faces to get them out of their rut, they're forcing youngsters to step up - it feels a bit desperate. They're still going to finish in the top three either way but a title challenge with this group looks complicated, although not impossible.