Is the Jess Thorup revolution in Augsburg sustainable?

Under Jess Thorup, Augsburg have shot up the Bundesliga table. But after collecting 12 points from six games, Thorup will have to show that the run is sustainable.

Not far from Munich, there is a small revolution ongoing. Quietly, FC Augsburg, under new head coach Jess Thorup have been climbing up the table. At the weekend, Augsburg beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 to climb up to ninth place in the Bundesliga standings and are now just six points behind Hoffenheim, who occupy the UEFA Conference League qualification place. More importantly, Augsburg are now eight points clear of a relegation spot.

Under Thorup, Augsburg remain undefeated this season. Augsburg have won three and drawn three, collecting 2.00 points on average since the 53-year-old Dane has taken over from Enrico Maaßen. In fact, only Leverkusen (16 points) and Bayern Munich (15 points) have collected more points than Augsburg (12) in that stretch, and Der FCA are just behind Leipzig (+8 goals vs +5 goals) based on goal difference.  

But what is Thorup’s secret? According to a report by the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Thorup first and foremost tried to unite the squad off the pitch. You want an example? When Southern Bavaria got hit by the mother of all snowfalls last Friday, Thorup had his team shuffle the snow off the club’s training pitches. The Dane believes that that keeps his team grounded but also furthers the team spirit.