Vulgar victor delivers satisfying moment for Leverkusen in Austria.

Dirty-talking victor gives Leverkusen a taste of Austria

Sturm Graz overthrew serial champions Red Bull Salzburg on Whitsun Sunday, becoming the new champions of Austrian soccer. In the final table, Sturm leads by two points, but they have never won the title. How is that possible?

Sturm Graz achieved what Bayer Leverkusen did in German soccer. The team from Styria won their final game of the season 2:0 against Austria Klagenfurt on Whitsun Sunday, claiming the championship and putting an end to Red Bull Salzburg's dominance.

Sturm didn't achieve a perfect season like Leverkusen. Salzburg had previously won ten championships in a row; not eleven like FC Bayern. Nonetheless, Sturm's victory is a significant achievement. The financial gap between Red Bull and Sturm - which is also supported by a beverage brand (Puntigamer beer producer) - is too large. "Perhaps Leverkusen's title with this unbeaten streak and the potential Europa League title is a little higher, but that's put into perspective when you look at Sturm's resources," said journalist and Sturm fan Kevin Barth in an interview with ntv.de.

Christian Jauk was dumbfounded at the moment of success. "I'm speechless," said the club president from Graz after the championship triumph on the final matchday, admitting he had "lost it at some point" during the nail-biting match. Then defender Gregory Wüthrich scored with his head after a corner to take the lead. Wüthrich, who had actually already left the club last summer but then failed the medical check at FC Augsburg.

Historic victory in the championship final

For Graz, this is the fourth championship win in the club's history after 1998, 1999, and 2011. After ten consecutive titles, Red Bull Salzburg has been ousted.

Nevertheless, Graz's success is not only historic but also puzzling. After 32 match days, Salzburg actually has the better record in the table. 67 points, a goal difference of +41. Graz also has 67 points, but only a goal difference of +33. Why are the Styrians still champions? The unusual format of the Austrian Bundesliga is the reason.

In Austria, all twelve teams play against each other in the first phase of the season, the so-called basic round, in a first and second leg. After these 22 match days, Salzburg was four points ahead of Graz with 50 points. The top six teams in the table then play against each other in a second round-robin round to determine the champion. However, the points from the basic round are halved, meaning that Salzburg began the final round with 25 points, and Graz with 23. Here, Salzburg only gained 17 points, but Graz managed a strong 21, leading to Graz finishing two points ahead, even though they never picked up those two points on the field. No team had previously lost the championship after the basic round. Until now.

Gregory Wüthrich almost ended up at FC Augsburg.

Salzburg financially superior

Meanwhile, Graz's fourth championship win is also surprising because Salzburg has been financially stronger than their competitors in recent years. The Mozartstadt squad is worth 4 times more than the Graz team (according to Transfermarkt.de). For comparison: Bayern, with their €930 million squad, are "only" around a third more than Leverkusen. Such big numbers don't tell the whole story, but they do compose a chapter.

"In recent years, Salzburg has regularly achieved transfer incomes in the double-digit million euro range. Sturm has only managed that twice in the club's history," reports Kevin Barth. The new champions did "catch up a little," but they are still a hundred worlds behind Salzburg in terms of infrastructure.

How did the team from the Styrian capital still become the champions? The club laid the groundwork during the challenging COVID-19 phase. Christian Ilzer, the champion coach, joined Sturm from Austria Vienna in the summer of 2020. "That summer, the club agreed on a system of play that has been played in the youth teams since then. Very high, very energetic pressing that puts the opposing team under constant pressure," says Barth.

Title with no top scorer

In the following years, Ilzer helped develop players individually. However, Graz doesn't have a standout player in their ranks. This is also evident when looking at the list of goalscorers. No player has scored in double digits, Otar Kiteishvili is the top scorer with nine goals. Sturm became champions without having a top scorer on their team. It's an achievement to accomplish that first.

Without a clear goal-scorer, the homogenous Sturm Graz team has compensated for this deficiency. The Austrian midfielder Alexander Prass has made a significant impact on the left flank. In midfield, the experienced Slovenian captain Jon Gorenc Stankovic orchestrates the game. His compatriot Tomi Horvat has had a standout season. Defensive stalwart David Affengruber has caught the attention of Borussia Mönchengladbach and Austrian national coach Ralf Rangnick.

Sturm fans celebrate the championship title on the main square in Graz.

Sports director Andreas Schicker, rumoured to be heading to TSG Hoffenheim, is responsible for assembling the team. Like coach Ilzer, the 37-year-old began his tenure in 2020. Schicker recruited the Dane Rasmus Højlund from Copenhagen in January 2022, but sold the talented striker to Bergamo six months later for a record transfer fee of €17 million. Today, Højlund is a key player at Manchester United, and Sturm used the transfer funds to complete their championship-winning roster. "Sturm has a stellar scouting network. It's often discussed as a 'shadow squad,' which means if Sturm needs to let a player go, Schicker already has a backup player in mind," explains fan and expert Barth.

The Ilzer/Schicker era was set for success, with their impact apparent in their maiden season in command. Sturm Graz barely missed qualifying for the Champions League, ending third in the Bundesliga, runner-up in the previous season, and claiming the cup in the 2021/22 season, and ultimately winning the double this year.

Change of Venue

What's next? A shot at the Champions League, for instance. After a 24-year absence, Sturm returns to the group stage of the "premier class." However, the team will not be able to host matches at their home stadium in Graz-Liebenau. The Merkur-Arena (formerly the Arnold-Schwarzenegger-Stadium) doesn't meet Uefa's requirements, so Sturm must relocate to Klagenfurt. But Graz holds dear memories of the Wörthersee Stadium, where they've won the cup final three times in the last six years.

Will the Champions League propel the Styrians to new heights? Certainly from a financial standpoint, as acknowledged by sporting director Schicker during a "Laola 1" interview. "I'd be lying if I said it won't make a difference." However, the goal is "to avoid doing anything crazy." A combination of "continuity" and "courage to change" has sustained Sturm Graz's success, according to Schicker. The club intends to maintain this approach.

Barth observes: "Sturm Graz has spent more than two million euros on only eight players throughout their history. The strategy is to sign prospects with potential and sell them on. It's more like a club like Heidenheim rather than Leverkusen."