The mission sounds banal at first: Of course, for Jess Thorup and FC Augsburg, the main goal is to prevent the team from falling into the second division.
And yet: the engagement of the Dane Thorup as the new coach of the traditional club from Bavarian Swabia – only in 15th place with five points after seven match days – seems to promise much more.
“It is a great pleasure for me to work in the Bundesliga,” explained the 53-year-old, who was given a contract until 2025 as the successor to the released Enrico Maaßen: “The club and the team have a lot of potential.”
Together with Pierre Emile Hojbjerg, coach Jess Thorup even had a taste of the title at the 2015 U21 European Championships
Also a sponsor of ex-Bayern jewel Höjbjerg
And Thorup should be the one who can bring out this performance in the long term, in addition to the hoped-for relegation. Why? Because he can.
Would you like an example? At his previous positions, such as at FC Copenhagen, where he became Danish champions and played in the Champions League, the former professional, among others, formed Wolfsburg clipper Jonas Wind.
As coach of FC Midtjylland – where they also won the title – Thorup helped Leipzig’s ex-striker Alexander Sörloth (now Villarreal) achieve his breakthrough.
As the manager of the Danish U21, with whom Thorup reached the semi-finals of the European Championship in 2015, he also developed Leipzig’s Youssuf Poulsen (RB) and Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg. The former FC Bayern gem is now also a seasoned national player and first choice at Tottenham Hotspur.
In short: the man is considered an absolute talent whisperer.
Thorup: Professional with great human quality
In the past, when it came to Thorup’s special qualities, the focus had always been on not only the technical side, but also the special empathy in dealing with the youngsters.
This is also known in Augsburg, where great hopes are placed not least in the Belgian midfield talent Arne Engels (20) and the French winger Nathanael Mbuku (21), who has so far hardly been used.
“We are pleased that in Jess we were able to attract a football expert and person to the FCA who has been a head coach at the highest level for many years,” said Augsburg’s sports director Marinko Jurendic.
As an “experienced and renowned trainer,” as managing director Michael Ströll immediately praised, Thorup will hardly need any time to get used to it. Not linguistically anyway.
Ex-professional at KFC Uerdingen – and almost at VfB
Thorup knows German football well from his time as a player at KFC Uerdingen; the former center forward scored three goals in 39 second division games for the Krefeld team from 1996 to 1998.
What precedes Thorup’s reputation – the ability to find the right tactics and the right personnel against supposedly clearly superior opponents. See also 2016, when he and Midtjylland made people sit up and take notice in the round of 16 of the Europa League with a 2-1 first leg win over Manchester United.
The FCA will be happy to hear that with a view to the upcoming Bundesliga games against direct competition such as newly promoted Heidenheim and 1. FC Köln, before the crackers against Borussia Dortmund and the current high-flying team VfB Stuttgart await before the winter break .
Incidentally, Thorup had long been traded for the position of coach of the dismissed Pellegrino Matarazzo at Stuttgart last year. Now the people of Augsburg have taken action and hope that the talent whisperer will also strike in Augsburg.
2023-10-18 02:40:57
#Augsburg #coach #Thorup #talent #whisperers #exBayern #gem #Höjbjerg #benefited
