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mgriffin2012

5 years • Edited

Steegmann: We’ll Come Back Stronger Next Season

As the curtain drew to a close on another Bundesliga season on Saturday, Austria Wien were left to reflect on what could have been as a 3-0 defeat to Red Bull Salzburg saw Die Vielchen miss out on the chance to win a first Bundesliga title since 2013 as Salzburg went on to claim the crown for the seventh year in a row. However for manager Christopher Steegmann and his playing squad this season has been one of a huge strides as Die Vielchen finally mounted a sustained title challenge without any major dips in form and pushed the eventual Champions all the way till the end of the season. In his final interview with fk-austria.at of the season, Steegmann claims that his side will be back and better than ever when the new campaign kicks off in July.

fk-austria.at
Christopher Steegmann

Christopher thank you for joining us one last time this season, how are you feeling after that defeat to Salzburg on Saturday and what must be a disappointing end to the season for you?
You’re welcome. I’m absolutely gutted I won’t lie. It was a real bitter pill to swallow. We were so confident heading into the tie that we could get the result that we were craving, and we were so determined to show an improvement on our last trip to the Red Bull Arena but we just didn’t get the share of the luck we wanted and they picked us off when we couldn’t get the ball to hit the back of the net. It was a really disappointing end to what was a really good and enjoyable season where we did really well.

You came so close to breaking Salzburg’s grip on the Bundesliga crown, however you must be really proud of your players and the coaching staff at being able to run Salzburg so close?
Oh absolutely, I’m so incredibly proud of my players and this club. We did extremely well this season to start the way we did where we were a little off the pace, to then pick up momentum and really push for the league title. We ran Salzburg right down to the last game of the season and could, on another day, have picked up the title because on another day some of the chances we missed would have gone in and we would be sitting here now as league champions. It’s tough to accept that we’ve lost the game and conceded the title but we’ve got a lot to be proud of this year, the progress we’ve made has been amazing and I can guarantee we’ll come back stronger next season.

What does next season have in store for Die Vielchen and it’s fans in the Bundesliga anyway? Can we and shall we expect another push at the title or is it too soon to say?
Like I said, we’ll come back stronger next season with some new additions and a revitalised playing squad. We want to continue improving and the next step of that improvement is to go on and win the league title now and really push Salzburg all the way. That is the step we want to make next season too and we’re desperate to have a real go at winning the Bundesliga title.

You have obviously secured qualification for the Champions League once more, meaning you will enter the competition in the Third Qualifying Round for the second consecutive season, are you confident of being able to progress further this time around?
Qualifying for the Champions League again is a big achievement for this club and for the fans because the team has struggled to do it consistently for a little while so to be back in the competition, even if it is only the preliminary stages is a big achievement for the club and I’m really excited for another shot at the tournament. We ran Zenit really close last season and I’m even more confident that we can run whoever we get closer and qualify for the final round of Qualifying and then hopefully push on and qualify for the Group Stages because that’s where every team aspires to be.

You enjoyed a memorable European campaign this season, reaching the last 16 of the Europa League, does that campaign, and victories like the wins over Fiorentina, Basel and Olympiakos fill you with confidence at being able to have another successful European campaign next season?
Those results definitely help make us feel more confident because they were great results for this club and for this team. To have been out of Europe for the previous season and to then go and beat the likes of Basel comfortable and Olympiakos the way we did was brilliant to watch and be a part of, for both us and the fans. We then ran Fiorentina a top team from one of the top leagues in Europe very close to a place in the Quarter Finals which would have been an extraordinary achievement for us so we’ve got a lot to be proud of from our last European campaign so I know we can go on and have another enjoyable run this season.

Back to domestic football, your side were dumped out of the OFB-Cup by SV Ried in the second round, what are you going to do to make sure that a cup upset doesn’t happen again next season?
That result against Ried was a very tough one to take. Having reached the Semi Finals last season and fallen short the way we did in that game against Sturm Graz we really wanted to make amends for it this season and try and win the competition but to lose to Ried on penalties, having dominated the tie, creating so many chances was a horrible feeling and it is one I never want to repeat. We were very respectful to the competition, we named a strong team, one that was definitely capable of winning that game, but it just wasn’t to be and we have to make sure we’re more clinical next season and take the chances we’re taking, especially in knockout competitions like the OFB-Cup.

The fans are desperate for you to win silverware now having seen the progress your side have made, do you think you can get that trophy by winning the OFB-Cup next season? It’s been a long time since Austria Wien have had their hands on it!
Yeah absolutely I think we can win the competition. It is a huge part of our season and I can guarantee the fans that it is a huge part of our aspirations. We want to win silverware as much as the fans do and that competition would be a prestigious tournament to win and we hope we can make a better impression in the tournament in the new season.

Last summer saw four players arrive, and no more new recruits were added in the January transfer window, what will this summer have in store for you and Die Vielchen?
We’re going to add to this squad because we’re going to come back fresh and really challenge next season. We need to improve this squad and push the players who are still here and those who come in to the best they can be if we are to really challenge next season. However we will only add players that we feel will benefit this club and the team and contribute to the way we want to play football rather than just spending money for the sakes of spending it and bringing players in that aren’t right for this system.

Has a list of players already been drawn up and do you have any ideas of where you’re going to be looking at improving the squad and can you offer us any cheeky insights?
There is a list of players we are looking at and we’ve identified areas in the squad that we want to improve on already and have done for quite a long time now because that’s just the way we want to work at this club. The scouting department have worked tirelessly to get us in a position where we can now pick the players we want to sign and make offers but unfortunately we’re not going to be giving away any insights here today.

Well thank you for joining us Christopher, enjoy your summer break and we look forward to seeing you next season!
Thank you very much, see you next season.

Last Update: #2.45 Month In Focus: May
Next Update: #2.47 Die Vielchen Unveil Martins Pereira Signing

ScottT

5 years

Fantastic interview from Christopher. He obviously has a well-structured plan in everything he does and presents himself as a confident individual. Everything you want in a manager, alongside getting results on the pitch, of course!

Jack

5 years

Just caught up with end of the season and it is so so sad to see you pipped to the title right at the last like that, must be gutting. However, like Chris suggested in the interview, you really put RB on edge this season like never before, meaning that unless they improve significantly they could risk losing their dominance.

Griffo

5 years

Interesting to see what player movements occur from here

mgriffin2012

5 years • Edited

Die Vielchen Unveil Martins Pereira Signing

Die Vielchen have today confirmed their first signing of the summer transfer window by announcing the arrival of midfielder Christopher Martins Pereira from Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais on a free transfer. The 23 year old French born Luxembourg international is out of contract at the Groupama Stadium at the end of June, paving the way for the well rounded midfielder to move to the Generali Arena for a small compensation fee as Christopher Steegmann looks to bolster his midfield ahead of the 2020/21 Bundesliga campaign which kicks off at the end of July.

Able to fulfil a number of roles in the Austria Wien midfield, Martins Pereira looks set to help fill a void that many have noted about Die Vielchen’s midfield this season with Steegmann being presented with a lack of options in the centre of the park. Rumours persist about the future of Uros Matic and James Jeggo particularly and this signing should go some way to ease the fears of Die Vielchen fans that they could be left significantly short in midfield when the season kicks off and Die Vielchen start to get stuck into what will be another busy fixture schedule with European fixtures on the cards once more.

Meanwhile Martins Pereira, will be looking to establish himself as a regular starter for Austria Wien, having failed to make the breakthrough at Lyon and with European football guaranteed in one shape or form for the new season, the 23 year old will have plenty of opportunities at the Generali Arena. Having chosen to represent Luxembourg over his native France, Martins Pereira has made 43 appearances for his country, scoring two goals. The midfielder scored 5 goals for Lyon’s reserve team in the French National A last season and Steegmann will be hoping that Martins Pereira can contribute a similar amount if not more heading into the new campaign as Die Vielchen look for more goals from their midfielders next season.

In a statement released by Die Vielchen, Martins Pereira went on record to say how happy he was to be joining Austria Wien in the coming weeks. “For me this is a huge opportunity to prove myself at a club that regularly plays European football and it is one I am honoured to have been presented with. I can’t wait to get started at Austria Wien and to begin working with the squad and Christopher Steegmann. From the research I’ve done into the last few seasons it is a club and a squad that is going places and I am really looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together heading into next season.”

Comments

ScottT: Yeah there’s a plan in place to take this club on to the next level but it’s for the long term and definitely not achievable overnight or by waving our “wallet” around

Jack: Was a really bitter pill to swallow because of how close we were but we go again, starting with this signing!

Griffo: There’ll be movement for sure…

Last Update: #2.46 Steegmann: We’ll Come Back Stronger Next Season
Next Update: #2.48 Season In Review: 2019/20

Jack

5 years

Tidy signing there, particularly on a free transfer. So let the 2020 assault on Red Bull begin!

ScottT

5 years

He looks a rather astute signing. The fact he is versatile will be extremely beneficial, given the extra fixtures coming your way, again.

mgriffin2012

5 years • Edited

Season In Review: 2019/20

As the curtains are drawn on the 2019/20 season, the 12 Bundesliga teams that will contest the 2020/21 edition of the competition have begun their preparations for the new campaign. With the fixtures for the new season released in a matter of days, bundesliga.at takes a look back at the 2019/20 Bundesliga campaign; the winners, the losers and those who will hope to enjoy European success next season.

The Title Race And The Hunt For Europe

If the title race in 2018/19 was the tightest the Bundesliga had seen for a long time, then the 2019/20 season brushed it to one side. The winners of the Bundesliga weren’t crowned until the final day of the season in May as Red Bull Salzburg were crowned Champions for the seventh successive season as Marco Rose and his side masterminded another successful defence of their crown. Salzburg started the season in flying form losing just once in their opening 9 games, and conceding only 2 goal whilst they were sharp and prolific in front of goal with 22 goals in their first nine games. Rheindorf Altach and LASK Linz two sides who had finished in the bottom half of the table last season were the early contenders after nine games with twenty points, but neither side really looked like capable challengers, whilst Austria Wien were situated down in fourth on 18 points despite having gone unbeaten in their first eight games.

By the time the league was ready to be split into the Champions Group and the Relegation Play Off, Salzburg had established a five point lead at the top of the Bundesliga table by virtue of a 2-0 win over Austria Wien on Matchday 22. Die Vielchen had moved into second place as Christopher Steegmann’s side had established themselves as the only real contenders to Salzburg’s title, with Rheindorf Altach and LASK Linz having fallen off the pace severely with third placed Altach trailing Salzburg by 11 points and LASK a further two points behind that. Meanwhile Rapid Wien had recovered from a steady start to the season to move up into fifth place and given themselves the chance to continue their bid for European football whilst Mattersburg had snuck their way into sixth place, giving them the opportunity to qualify for European football presuming they could put together a decent run of form in the Champions Play Off.

Come the end of the season it was Salzburg who secured a seventh successive title win as they beat Austria Wien 3-0 at the Red Bull Arena on Matchday 32 to seal the Bundesliga crown. Austria Wien finished in second, with LASK having secured third place and Europa League football. It was Rheindorf Altach who finished fourth but missed out on European football as Rapid Wien sealed a place in the Europa League Second Qualifying Round. Mattersburg missed out completely because of events elsewhere.

The Bid To Avoid The Drop

Down at the bottom end of the table, Sturm Graz who had finished third in the Bundesliga last season struggled to repeat their achievements from last season, failing to win any of their opening eight games in the campaign and drawing only two putting Heiko Vogel on thin ice at the Merkur Arena. Wacker Innsbruck, another side who had achieved well last season had also started slowly and sat just three points above Graz as they sat dangerously close to the relegation zone having finished fifth in 2018/19. Newly promoted Floridsdorfer, experiencing their first Bundesliga campaign in over 50 years had started well though and sat on seven points just two points behind Rapid Wien, however their two wins had come in their first three games of the season and a downward slump had just begun.

Come Matchday 22 and the end of the regular Bundesliga season, Floridsdorfer had failed to pick up any more points since October and failed to win a game since their first three games and relegation was a real possibility. Sturm Graz had recovered slightly and now sat away from the relegation places although they were unhappy enough with their season that Heiko Vogel was sacked and replaced by Karl Daxbacher who had steered Graz up into tenth. Meanwhile Wolfsberger were another side whose form had slipped away and were now the closest team to Flordisdorfer, whilst St. Polten and Admira Wacker were experiencing average seasons that saw them sit in 8th and 9th in the table respectively. Wacker Innsbruck though had recovered and missed out on a place in the Champions Play Off by only five points.

Come the close of play in the entire Bundesliga campaign, it was St. Polten who occupied 7th in the table, but having sealed European football by beating Rapid Wien in the OFB-Cup, the place in the European play off went to Sturm Graz who continued their recovery to finish eight in the final standings. Admira Wacker’s steady season had continued into the relegation play off with their chances of moving higher up the table and the danger of relegation having faded along time ago, whilst Wacker Innsbruck suffered a poor run of form during the relegation play off fixtures and had slumped down to 10th. Wolfsberger though were able to celebrate staying in the division long before the final matchday after Floridsdorfer’s woeful season continued and they were relegated to the Erste Liga.

The European Play Off

In what really was the final game of the season, it was Rapid Wien now under the guidance of former Germany striker Carsten Jancker that sealed their place in next season’s Europa League by beating Rheindorf Altach 1-0 in the final of the European play offs. Altach had come through a semi final, beating Sturm Graz to set up the meeting with Jancker’s team but failed at the final hurdle to seal a place in UEFA competition and it will be Rapid who now face a gruelling bid to qualify for the Group Stages of the Europa League.

Who Will Replace Floridsdorfer?

Despite Austria Wien’s B Team the Young Violets being crowned Champions of the second tier, it was FC Blau-Weiss Linz who sealed promotion to the Bundesliga, falling off top spot at the very last, but sealing their place in the top flight courtesy of a ruling stopping B teams from competing in the same league as their parent team. It will be Linz’s first Bundesliga campaign since 1988 when they finished ninth and sets up an exciting set of derbies with city rivals LASK Linz when the new season kicks off at the end of July.

Comments

Jack: Let the chase begin…

ScottT: Love picking out a player like this on a free transfer

Last Update: #2.47 Die Vielchen Unveil Martins Pereira Signing
Next Update: #3.1 Die Vielchen Confirm Gideon Mensah Signing

ScottT

5 years

Great update mate. The B team finishing top of the division surely suggests that there is a lot of quality waiting to come through the ranks. Hopefully the newly promoted team can put up more of a fight than Floridsdorfer did, too.

It's quite interesting to see the lack of consistency of finishes outside yourselves and Salzburg. It makes for an interesting division for the remaining spots in Europe.

Griffo

5 years

You rarely see a B team achieve that, really interesting. I would like to do a save where I challenge myself to build that situation.

mgriffin2012

5 years • Edited

Die Vielchen Confirm Gideon Mensah Signing

Christopher Steegmann’s plans and preparations for the new season continued today as the German and Austria Wien confirmed the arrival of their second signing of the summer as 21 year old left back Gideon Mensah completed his transfer to the Generali Arena. Mensah, capped by Ghana at under 23 level, arrives at Die Vielchen from Erste Liga side Liefering FC who have become synonymous with being associated with one of Austria Wien’s biggest rivals in Red Bull Salzburg through an official affiliation between the two clubs that allows Salzburg to match any bid for a Liefering player. Mensah is believed to have been rated highly by the defending Bundesliga Champions, and will offer Christopher Steegmann a pacey option at left back to compete along with Cristian Cuevas.

Mensah arrived at Liefering in 2016, going on to make 92 appearances for the second tier side in his four seasons at the club, scoring just the one goal and now the 21 year old will be looking to continue his development under Christopher Steegmann at the Generali Arena. With deals confirming the departures of Thomas Ebner and Tomas Salamon, Die Vielchen were left short in the left full back position and now the Ghanaian defender will be looking to establish himself as the first choice option for Steegmann on the left hand flank of Die Vielchen’s defence.

In accordance with Bundesliga rules, Mensah has put pen to paper on a three year deal that will keep him at the Generali Arena until June 2023, however the defender will be hoping to impress enough during his 3 year stay and earn a new deal. Having signed his new deal, Mensah made a short statement saying “I am thrilled to be here. Watching from a far last season it looked like this team was about to go on and win a league title but they fell just short. However I am confident that with the vision the manager has for the team moving into this new campaign, we can go on and have a special season and achieve something that this club hasn’t achieved for a while. I can’t wait to get started here and to try and establish myself as first choice.”

Meanwhile his new manager also had a few words to say about his new signing, Die Vielchen’s second of the summer after the arrival of Christopher Martins Pereira with Steegmann going on to say; “We wanted a younger body to come in and learn this role and become a key component of this team moving forward after the departures of Thomas Ebner and Salamon and I am confident and looking forward to the day that Gideon can be that starting left back or at least be competing for regular starts with Cristian Cuevas. This promises to be an exciting season for the club and I am delighted that Gideon is going to be a part of it.”

Comments

ScottT: Thanks mate, yeah there is a lot of young players with quality in the B team and the youth team but there work rates are poor which doesn’t sit well with me particularly with the way I want us to play.

Yeah the rest of the league is struggling to keep pace with us and Salzburg and it makes things interesting to say the least.

Griffo: Yeah it’s good to see, just wish the players would have better work rates.

Last Update: #2.48 The Season In Review: 2019/20
Next Update: #3.2 2020/21 Bundesliga Fixtures Confirmed

Griffo

5 years

Looking forward to seeing Mensah develop

ScottT

5 years

An interesting capture. I'm intrigued to see if Salzburg will come back to rue not going in for Mensah, given they can do so due to the relationship between themselves and Liefering. Some tidy business is being made and I feel that overtime this will be hugely rewarding.

mgriffin2012

5 years • Edited

2020/21 Bundesliga Fixtures Confirmed

Austria Wien will begin their latest attempt to win the tipico Bundesliga and their third season under the management of Christopher Steegmann away at the Merkur Arena against Sturm Graz on Friday July 24th. Steegmann and his team will be looking to kick start their latest campaign with a victory as they look to hunt down last season’s Champions Red Bull Salzburg who beat Die Vielchen to the league title on the final day of the season with a 3-0 at the Red Bull Arena. With Die Vielchen also competing in the OFB-Cup and the UEFA Champions League fixtures, fans will be hoping that the dates of some fixtures will be subject to change, particularly with Die Vielchen guaranteed to be playing in the Group Stages of the Europa League if they fail to progress from their Third Qualifying Round tie in the Champions League.

Despite finishing third in the Bundesliga in the 2018/19 season, Sturm Graz suffered a disappointing campaign last season, finishing as low as 8th, having been bottom of the table for a large portion of the season earlier on. As a result, then manager Heiko Vogel was sacked and replaced by Karl Daxbacher who was able to resurrect their season and earn Graz a chance at European football in the European Play Off, although they ultimately fell just short, losing to Rheindorf Altach in the Semi Finals of the Play Offs. In four previous meetings at the Merkur Arena under Christopher Steegmann, Die Vielchen have only managed one win which came back in May 2019, when goals from James Jeggo and Uros Matic sealed a 2-0 win for Steegmann’s side, but the German will be looking to bolster that record when he takes his Die Vielchen side to Graz at the end of July.

Die Vielchen’s first game of the season back at the Generali Arena will be a week later as St. Polten visit Wien, just four days before Austria Wien will play the first leg of their Third Qualifying Round tie in the UEFA Champions League, adding an exciting twist to events against St. Polten. With another four fixtures to be played in August, Die Vielchen will visit Admira Wacker on August 8th, before hosting both FC BW Linz a week later and LASK Linz the following week, ending the month away at Wolfsberger on the 29th. Christopher Steegmann and his team will fancy their chances and be confident of picking up three points in all of their opening fixtures this season and the German manager will hope that his side can set the bar high for the rest of the campaign in their opening exchanges.

Meanwhile, the fixtures that all Die Vielchen fans look for when the fixtures are released: the Wiener Derby will be played October 17th with Die Vielchen hosting Rapid in the first meeting of the two sides in the new season. Rapid then host the return fixture on the final day of the regular season on March 13th at the Allianz Stadion. Interestingly the fixture schedule also sees Die Vielchen face off against Red Bull Salzburg on October 3rd at the Generali Arena in the final matchday before the October international break, before visiting the Red Bull Arena on March 6th.

Details for Austria Wien’s full fixture schedule can be found below. Dates are subject to change.

Comments

Griffo: He could be a really valuable asset to us in the coming months

ScottT: He is the sort of player that I think they’d normally have signed from Liefering so I feel like we’ve screwed them over slightly by acquiring him!

Last Update: #3.1 Die Vielchen Confirm Gideon Mensah Signing
Next Update: #3.3 Austria Wien Announce Marin Jakolis Signing

Jack

5 years

I think Sturm Graz will be one to watch this season given your description of last season. Sounds to me like they were really given a boost by their new gaffer in mid-season and that could prove to result in a high finish this season once the current manager has a proper go at a full season.

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Jagd auf den Red Bull

Steegmann: We’ll Come Back Stronger Next Season

fk-austria.atChristopher Steegmann

Die Vielchen Unveil Martins Pereira Signing

Comments

Season In Review: 2019/20

The Title Race And The Hunt For Europe

The Bid To Avoid The Drop

The European Play Off

Who Will Replace Floridsdorfer?

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Die Vielchen Confirm Gideon Mensah Signing

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2020/21 Bundesliga Fixtures Confirmed

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fk-austria.at
Christopher Steegmann