Enrico Maaßen’s Augsburg win battle in the snow as Mërgim Berisha header buries Leverkusen #1674

Augsburg 1 Leverkusen 0FT

The Bundesliga weekend kicks off on Friday night with a very intriguing clash affecting both sides of the table. As Leverkusen made the trip to the WWK Arena to take on Augsburg. Leverkusen came into this one following a difficult defeat against Dortmund. Prior to this they had built a four game winning streak and it seemed like Xabi Alonzo starting to find his balance with Leverkusen they're in an uphill battle, but they have ambitions of climbing the table and at least having a respectable finish. At one point this season a top 10 finish to the campaign would be wonderful. However, the boys working their trade at the Bay arena seemingly have adjusted their ambitions for the season. European football might be a bit of a stretch, but they fully expect to finish in the top six. With the return of Wirtz Magic there could be an uptick on their season as they want to continue to climb the table and rediscover the form that got them out of danger prior to the World Cup break. The hosts have a similar ambition, but in a different context. Augsburg came into it with only a few points above the drop zone. While they have a decently well-rounded team. They lack the clinical qualities necessary to earn points on a regular. We are starting to see the importance of their goalkeeper. Augsburg have the goalkeeper of the season. There's no doubt about that, but hanging their hat on his ability to come up and make the saves is a difficult world to live in. After a defeat to Freiburg at home in front of 27,000 Augsburg wanted to take full advantage of that. It is gut check time as they look to pick up some momentum and confidence in the right moment. Augsburg's ambition is to survive the season and maybe finish in midt table. They don't want to be skating by the skin of their teeth. Prior to the kickoff on Friday, the points were very valuable for both sides. This was expected to be a very tense and tactical affair as it was expected to be a chest match in between Xabi Alonzo and Enrico Maaßen as the proceedings were about to begin to fly into the Bundesliga weekend with a huge clash.

It was a cold and snowy night to kick off the Bundesliga weekend. A parallel of dynamics. A defensive oriented Augsburg against an attacking firecracker with Leverkusen. The intention of the hosts were clear. They allowed Leverkusen to take a majority of possession and the ball. It wasn't straight up park the bus but they were going to operate through the defense. A very calculated approach. The idea being trying to cut off the legs of the midfield while also maintaining their defensive structure. Looking to follow through on counter attacks when the moments arise as well as setpiece situations. Pressing a high line against Leverkusen was always going to be a huge risk, especially considering the athletic ability of some of their wide players. Wirtz one of the league's best playmakers recently coming off injury not quite at 100% yet, but we've already seen some of the qualities. Even at not full strength. He starts off the bench in this one so from an Augsburg perspective trying to maintain creativity from the middle and defending at a high level was the approach. The athletic prowess of the wide players was just going to be inevitable. They were going to find spaces and be effective in doing so. Augsburg was willing to forego possession to attach their strategy behind cutting off the midfield and being on top of it defensively. In the 9th minute Adli supplies a cross into the box finding Hincapie the Ecuadorian center back following through on the header but saved by Rafał Gikiewicz. Augsburg tightly managed the box on the delivery. Augsburg needed to make sure nothing came easy when balls came into the box. It was a slow build as we got as expected. A chess match between two vastly different styles of play. Leverkusen looked for distance in the 26th minute as the Rafał Gikiewicz put into action again as Ronert Andrich long range strike dealt with by the keeper. 2 minutes later they were on the attack again. Nearly opening up the games first goal. Diaby and Frimpong finding connection as the two quickest players on the pitch transition with one another ending with Diaby getting a fantastic look from inside the box. A well-hit strike hitting off the post. A moment that nearly could have kick started the game for the visitors. Using the athleticism and pace and quick movement between the two, they nearly break down and Augsburg defense with one moment of brilliance. Augsburg defensively we're doing exceptional job but it also shows that all it would take is one brilliant moment to break them. That is the consequences of playing against a team based on pace and athleticism. Without Patrick Schick in the team It's just an onslaught of counter attacking play. 2 minutes later and the 31st minute Augsburg got a rare chance. Arne Maier following through on a headed pass to Beljo but sees his strike from distance saved by hardeski. Leverkusen gets a pair of late chances to end the first half. In the 44th minute Diaby's stab from distance saved before Mitchell Baker fires high and wide to end the first half. It is a goalless opening 45 minutes. With Diaby's strike off the post being the closest to an opener.

This was a classic battle of a attack versus defense. Augsburg only the one chance in the first half as we weren't exactly expected to see them start. Unleashing. Their strategy on how they were going to handle the game was clear. They were going to transition when they had the opportunity they weren't going to risk sabotaging themselves by pushing too many forward. Any points They could get from the game was positive considering they sit near the bottom of the table. Much of the first half Augsburg sat back and defended the attacking football of the visitors. However, the game opened up for them in the early parts of the second half and Augsburg went on the offensive. In the 48 minute Elvis Rexhbecaj found Frederick Jensen from inside as he fired a strike on goal that was saved by Lukáš Hrádecký. Augsburg tried to fire in another from deep a minute later but was blocked by the defense. Augsburg was picking up momentum. They were protecting themselves defensively. However, they were finding ways to get into attacking positions and make a dent in the game. At home in front of their fans in the snow at finally came through for them. In the 55rd minute Arne Engles delivered from the corner only for Mergim Berisha connecting on a header from close range. He follows through getting his head against the wetness of the ball hits off the ground and into the top corner mutually unguarded as Augsburg get a shock 1-0 lead.

Leverkusen makes critical error and Augsburg take its advantage. Wirtz and Demirbay brought on for Leverkusen. The introduction of Wirtz Magic saw the midfield open up a bit. Great ball movement and play making ability from the young midfielder but Augsburg still felt the edge was in there direction. It changed the approach slightly but they were handling it the best way they could. Leverkusen saw Andrich see a touch from deep deflected at the edge of the box by the Augsburg defense getting in the way of the connection. Augsburg shortly after would bring on Kelvin Yeboh and Niklas Dorsch. Leverkusen had two golden chances as we approached the late stages of the game. In the 73rd minute a beautiful pass From Wirtz found Diaby on the break by himself it looks like a chance to break through. However, the Rafał Gikiewicz ran out of the box and issued a sliding tackle on the French speedster to rescue Augsburg again. 4 minutes later in the 77th minute Wirtz delivered another dime piece into the box, but the osberg goalkeeper comes up big with a diving header to clear the ball out. Truly has been the best goalkeeper in the Bundesliga this season. Coming up with two saves in a very critical moment. Hudson Odoi and Jonathan Tah brought on for Leverkusen. Augsburg had a few chances to extend their lead further, but the defense of leverkusen come up big. In the 90th minute they try to find a late chance with Kareem belarabi but he misfires in the closing moments as Augsburg hold on to overcome battle in the snow as they earn the points with 1-0 victory as Augsburg climb five points clear of the bottom three.

Augsburg grind out a very narrow victory on Friday night. In what was a stern test against Leverkusen. Their succession on a second half set piece could have important connotation on their bid to create separation from the bottom of the Bundesliga table. They came into the affair with just a few points between themselves and the bottom three. With a hard fought hard earned victory on Friday, they have now put 5 points in between themselves and the danger zone. Augsburg were very calculated and selective trying to bob and weave through the attacking fluidity of Leverkusen. Augsburg sat back and let Leverkusen put pressure on them. A lot of the times they were in their own box but they trapped the midfield with their strategic defensive setup. There were many times the visitors used their athleticism of their squad to try to break down and propel themselves through the Augsburg defense. That was their best turn of approach. They came close on a few occasions. As they probably could have won this game in their own right. However, Augsburg establishing a bit of distance between them and Leverkusen played a big role and then getting the result. In the end it was a test match. Augsburg took the opportunities to put themselves in those dangerous areas and to break when needed. However, they were not willing to risk the structure. They were building defensively when doing so. They waited for the right moment and office set piece. They cashed in an ultimately hold on to get the points. The midfield of the visitors was suffocated by the spacing trapping them Not allowing them to move freely. They understood they were not going to be able to withstand the athleticism and pace of Leverkusen however, they managed to cut off the legs in the midfield not allowing great facilitation having to deal with mostly the athletic gifts of the visitors preventing any type of balls over the top in the process. Late in the second half that changed a little bit and they had less control of it when Wirrz was brought off the bench. He has elite vision and one of the best passing midfielders in the world. He is yet at 100% but showed flashes of brilliance in the late portions of the second half. That transition ended up affecting the way they handled the last 25 minutes. There was nothing that could be done about the balls over the top at that point of the game. The goalkeeping abilities and the positioning of the defense held them off as much as they could. They were a few deliveries from the young superstar that nearly could have broke the game. Late on when they were under pressure. They dropped the midfield into the defense varias to hold off the onslaught. That's on the end. While also doing a great job of transitioning from defense to attack while protecting themselves in the late moments as they nearly could have had another goal. It really was a chess match in the end. What we saw from Augsburg at home in the cold to get this victory against an attacking fluid team was well deserved as they executed a brilliant game plan throughout. They have now positioned themselves well to try to pick up the steam of the game and momentum to start marching towards safety from this season. On the other side Xabi Alonzo's Leverkusen lose their second consecutive game for the first time since he has taken over as manager. Leverkusen didn't play poorly at all. They had their moments and came close on a numerous of occasions. They showed their qualities throughout the 90 minutes but couldn't crack the code in Augsburg. There shouldn't be any long-term concerns for what they were capable of doing. However, it is worth noting that they do need to start picking up points after this to get their momentum back. To finish in the top eight or potentially push from Europe, they're going to need to get hot. They were coming off a four-game winning streak. They've now dropped two in a row. A much improved performance from last weekend but still fail to get there in the end. There's still plenty of reasons to be optimistic about their chances to start a winning streak. It just wasn't meant to be on Friday. A tough match with a set piece settling it. Poor defensive man marking in the box settles the affair. It wasn't that they played poorly. They had a lot of opportunities and were dictating the way the game was played for the most part. However, they made one mistake on a corner and ultimately it cost them. They will be fine and I think they can get back on course following this but in a bundesliga season like this one, even the smallest of errors can cost you and tonight Leverkusen were victims of that. Augsburg earning the points as they took advantage of their minimal opportunities and come away with maximum points at home in the snow as they start to create that bit of separation from the bottom. They turn it up and turn it on against the big teams. They now have taken points off Leverkusen Gladbach and Bayern. As they drop a master class defensively from Enrico Maaßen's Augsburg as they start to figure it out.