More ball and fewer Bull tactics boost Austrian clubs in Bundesliga

Nach the longest international break, the Bundesliga kicks off its eighth round of the second half with nine games left before Christmas, and Austrian sides Rapid Wien under Bolla and Red Bull Salzburg under Kitano have already turned a ball‑poor 2025/26 season into a possession‑driven, Ball‑rich resurgence.

From low‑scoring gloom to ball‑rich play

The 2025/26 campaign was the league’s absolute low point. Not only did Austrian clubs slip in the five‑year Europacup ranking, but the relegation battle, inflamed by the now‑abolished half‑point rule, produced nervous, ‘Rumpelfußball’. Even the title race crawled at a snail’s pace, with no side approaching the two‑point‑per‑game benchmark for first place.

Data shows the average goals per match – the Torschnitt – climbed to 3.07, up from just 2.69 after seven rounds in 2025. The rise reflects more frequent combinations that generate scoring opportunities.

Across the league, pass completion rates have climbed while the proportion of shots resulting in goals has risen, confirming the statistical impact of the new Ball‑first approach.

Assist‑assist figures – the pre‑assist pass that leads to a goal – have also surged. LASK’s Horvath tops the list with five, while Bolla of Rapid and Austria’s Eggestein each record four.

Coaches swap pressure for possession

“It is now more structurally football played. I prefer to watch that,” says WSG trainer Philipp Semlic, who deliberately abandoned the chase for the second ball. He removed a third centre‑back to field two genuine wingers, flat combinations and greater Ball possession.

Semlic added that studies show young players develop best when they make many decisions, and possessing the Ball forces more choices than constantly chasing it. This philosophy guided his summer overhaul.

In Ried, former sport director Wolfgang Fiala – now at Rapid – ordered a shift to combination football and appointed Mario Despotovic as head coach. The move mirrors the broader Austrian trend toward Ball‑centric tactics.

At the top of the table, Rapid and Salzburg each embraced new leadership. In Hütteldorf, Johannes Hoff Thorup arrived in January, prioritising build‑up play and Ball circulation, a concept that needed six months to embed. Salzburg’s 2024 appointment of Pep Lijnders, on Jürgen Klopp’s recommendation, introduced a 4‑3‑5 system and patient possession, backed by sport director Mann, coach Röhl and the 32‑year‑old striker Tabakovic.

Austria’s broader European ripple

The ripple effect reaches Europe: after LASK’s 4‑1 Europa Cup qualifying win over Sporting in Lisbon in October 2020, Austrian clubs have consistently challenged the continent’s elite, turning what was once a ‘Bull‑driven’ pressing machine into a nuanced, Pass‑rich league that now supplies the Champions League’s top clubs with a goal guarantee. The shift also improves Austrian representation in the Europa competition.