Baum: Pre-season preparations in full flow

While all the FCA players currently are currently recovering ahead of the first training session back on 3rd July, Manuel Baum is hard at working planning for next season. Two weeks before things officially get started again, the Augsburg head coach spoke about a number of issues and what he is anticipating for pre-season. On his holiday: “I was with my family for almost three weeks in Croatia and really enjoyed the time. We had all four of our children with us but they always keep me on my toes. Of course I was in regular contact with the club to keep up to date with everything.” Looking back on last season: “I must say that I am still proud of the whole team. Many had already written us off back in April and didn’t think we were capable of picking up any points against Gladbach, Dortmund and Hoffenheim. That we managed not to lose any games in those final few matches of the season was simply unbelievable and was great for all of us. On pre-season: I am really looking forward to it. We have done some planning and have a lot to tell our players before the DFB Cup game against Magdeburg. Every player has an individual training plan for their free time so that the boys can return on 3rd July with a certain level of fitness and we can rely on all of them to complete that. We had to battle with a lot of injuries last season so we want to do our best to prevent that happening by given them a core level of fitness to minimise the risk of injury.” On FCA’s summer signings so far: “Rani Khedira will definitely be an asset for us. Even though he only made ten appearances last season, he has a lot of quality and suits our system of play well. We are planning for him to replace Dominik Kohr as he moves to Bayern Leverkusen. In addition, Fabian Giefer is a young and talented goalkeeper who already has a lot of experience. This transfer strategically is a sensible one for the future!”