Football Season Guide

Erzgebirge enjoyed a solid campaign under Dirk Schuster last season, sitting comfortably around mid-table throughout and never looked in danger of the drop. Schuster has since moved on and has been replaced by young coach Aleksey Shipilevski. A lack of funds for new transfers and the loss of some key players means the Belarusian certainly has his work cut out for the forthcoming season. The loss of first team players, such as Kruger, Testroet, Breitkreuz and Rizzuto is bound to have an effect on Erzgebirge. Shipilevski has looked to youthful players to develop as the way forward but you hope he will be given the time to implement his ideas. Defender Carlson is a good addition from Karlsruher and should help solidify the backline. Ferjani, Messeguem, Sijaric and on loan winger, Kuhn, are fairly untested at this level but are promising youngsters eager to prove themselves. The youthful setup mixed with some experience could be a plus point for Aue and you expect energy levels to be high. A change in style is also expected, with the team likely to be more pleasing on the eye.