After Marco Rose left Salzburg for the German Bundesliga in the summer along with five key players, not to mention star striker Moanes Dabbur’s departure to Sevilla, the Austrian side were left with a chasm many believed would be insurmountable, at least on a short-term basis on the back of a golden period with the German at the helm.
The appointment of American Jesse Marsch, who played second fiddle to Ralf Rangnick at RB Leipzig last season, came with little surprise following his outstanding work at the Leipzig and New York branches of the Red Bull tree. The surprise, however, has come from the exhilarating brand of attacking football Marsch has implemented that has caught eyes throughout all of Europe.
You only need to refresh your Twitter feed once to discover Erling Braut Haland’s latest groundbreaking feat, however, Marsch’s setup is by no means accommodated solely for the Norwegian. Their squad oozes up and coming talent, particularly in an attacking sense and the Wisconsin-born coach has managed to intertwine his front line with overpowering perfection.
From their fourteen matches in all competitions this season, Marsch’s men have netted 64 goals, giving them an average of more than 4.5 goals per game. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of their attacking arsenal is the strength in numbers they possess that has allowed them to rest key players for European fixtures. Sideline their entire primary strike force and they are still more than capable of blitzing opposition defences in equally ruthless fashion. As has been the case on several occasions already this campaign.
The stats of their forwards from this season speak volumes for the depth they boast:
- Erling Braut Haland – 11 games, 18 goals, 5 assists.
- Hee-chan Hwang – 11 games, 7 goals, 10 assists.
- Takumi Minamino – 11 games, 6 goals, 8 assists.
- Patson Daka – 13 games, 10 goals, 3 assists.
- Sekou Koita – 7 games, 5 goals, 2 assists.
In the Champions League, they have, as you might expect, been found out at the back. A team that plays with such ferocity and chance going forward may leave themselves exposed from time to time, but their collective understanding both in possession and in the press allows for more frequent exposure of their opposition.
Of course, as an overall unit they aren’t expected to compete with the likes of Napoli and Liverpool, but sticking to their philosophies and taking the game to these teams was a system used so fearlessly and with success, especially in Europe by Marco Rose and that has continued under Jesse Marsch.
In their opening two Champions League group games this season, Salzburg have scored nine goals including three at Anfield. For a squad full of youth and inexperience on paper, each player knows their role in Marsch’s game plan and has executed that with the confidence and conviction of a seasoned veteran. Consequently, irrespective of whether they achieve Champions League or Europa League knockout qualification, teams continent-wide will not rest easy in the wake of a two-legged tie against the Austrians.
The domestic league and cup double is almost a given, but this squad has more than enough about them to outweigh Austrian football (as many of their players eventually will) and become the surprise package in a lengthy European stint this season.
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