There were plenty of new faces on show as FC Augsburg kicked-off their pre-season preparations. - © © imago
There were plenty of new faces on show as FC Augsburg kicked-off their pre-season preparations. - © © imago

Schuster: 'The team is very strong'

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It has been a summer of change for FC Augsburg, who were the first Bundesliga side to kick-off their pre-season preparations on Monday.

With head coach Markus Weinzierl joining FC Schalke 04, for the first time in four years there was a new man on the sidelines as Weinzierl's successor Dirk Schuster and his backroom staff oversaw their first training session. There were also some new faces on the pitch with summer signings Andreas Luthe, Georg Teigl and Marvin Friedrich all on show, while the club's latest acquisition Takashi Usami, like those who have been featuring for their national sides, did not take part.

Read: The 2016/17 summer transfer overview

Talking to the club's official website, Schuster shared his first impressions about a number of subjects.

Dirk Schuster on...

... his first days at Augsburg: "So far I have only met nice people. Very capable people, too, who understand a lot about football and who want to make our work easier. We will give our all for the club. I have not yet seen much of the city of Augsburg but I hope that will change soon."

... his first conversation with the team: "It was essentially about getting to know each other and saying that we want to ease back into things without going too hard too soon. Simply getting a feeling for the time and environment."

... his first impression of the team: "The team is very strong, communicates well and uses the ball well. Nevertheless, I think that there is still work to be done. We want to get an idea of every player. But we are still waiting for some players to return who are on holiday or playing in the EUROs, and hopefully they can fit in seamlessly."

... new signing Takashi Usami: "On one hand, he brings a lot of quality with him, and the other, he absolutely wants to prove that he can do more than he showed at Bayern and Hoffenheim."

... new signing Marvin Friedrich: "Marvin Friedrich has already shown in training today that he is a good central defender with a lot of potential. He was well schooled at Schalke and has now decided to take on the task of playing for us."

... the job at Augsburg: "We had a lot of success during our time at Darmstadt and I am very thankful that they showed me so much trust. Augsburg is a great challenge for us - Markus Weinzierl has left huge boots to fill. But we want to take on this challenge."

... the aim of remaining in the Bundesliga: "Of course that is our primary objective. Anything else would be very presumptuous and also a little unrealistic. Our aim is to offer the people of Augsburg Bundesliga football in the coming years."