Baum’s “Grizzly Mentality” drives Augsburg to another victory - Schlotterbeck praises teammates

FC Augsburg’s upward trajectory shows no signs of slowing down, and after their latest victory, both Keven Schlotterbeck and coach Manuel Baum were full of praise for the team’s development and mentality.

Schlotterbeck singled out the opening goal as a perfect example of preparation meeting execution.

“It was a great goal from Ribeiro. That’s the kind of move we’ve practised in training,” he explained. “We also have to praise Banks - that was a superb run and a great assist for the first goal.”

Indeed, the centre-back’s bursting run to the byline set up the breakthrough and underlined Augsburg’s tactical flexibility, with defenders encouraged to make aggressive forward runs.

Schlotterbeck also emphasised the balance within the team at the moment. “We’re in a good place right now. We’re defending very well and we have good individual players up front. It’s going really well, and you have to praise the team,” he said. “But the season isn’t over yet. We’ll continue to give everything.”

The defender was also grateful for goalkeeper Finn Dahmen, who preserved the clean sheet late on. “Dahmen saved the ball brilliantly - that’s why we have him back there. He rescued me again at the end.”

The “Grizzly Bear” Mentality

Coach Manuel Baum, meanwhile, offered a fascinating insight into his motivational approach:

“People think in images, so I always motivate my players with images before games,” Baum revealed. “This time it was a grizzly bear - it’s hungry and doesn’t give up until it’s full.”

The metaphor clearly resonated. Augsburg controlled large parts of the game and showed composure when it mattered most. “In the second-half-of-the-season-table, we’re now level on points with first place. That’s fantastic and it makes me emotional. The boys are doing a superb job,” Baum said.

For the coach, the explanation for Augsburg’s resurgence is straightforward. “We have good players - that’s the explanation for our situation. Sometimes football gets overcomplicated. You have to think about which strategy best suits the players you have. Then it’s important to take a step back as a coach and let them play. They can all play football.”

No fear ahead of Leipzig trip

Despite the current momentum, Baum is already looking ahead. Augsburg’s next challenge comes away at RB Leipzig, but the message is clear.

“We’ve shown great performances against top teams,” he said. “Now we’re going to Leipzig and we want to win the game. That’s our goal. We don’t need to be afraid.”

With confidence high, defensive stability evident and attacking quality delivering at key moments, Augsburg’s “grizzly bear” mentality is becoming more than just a pre-match image - it is shaping into a defining characteristic of their season.