Kühbauer, WAC's success coach, expresses skepticism: "Doubling our achievements would be nothing short of miraculous!"
In the world of football, not many gave the WAC a chance to be fighting for two titles at the end of the 2024/25 season. On Thursday, Wolfsberger, led by coach Didi Kühbauer, will be facing Manfred Schmid and Hartberg in the cup final. In the league, they trail third place by just three points.
Many might find it surprising that the WAC is still in the running for titles, with Austria and Sturm being the only teams frequently mentioned. But Coach Kühbauer doesn't seem too bothered by it. "Why should it bother us?" he asks, "We are professionals enough to know that we don't have the best cards. But that we are three points behind the leader after 29 rounds, that speaks for my team."
The small team at WAC is something that Coach Kühbauer appreciates. He emphasizes that, while Rapid and LASK may be bigger clubs, the work remains the same. The stress level at Rapid might be higher, but Kühbauer hasn't given that much thought. He prefers to focus on his coaching team and the team itself, rather than what the forums are saying.
Coach Kühbauer admits that he is not a "laptop trainer," but he does rely on data. He knows all the statistics about each player - what was good, what was bad. He emphasizes the importance of knowing what needs to be improved as a coach. "Some trainers have to carry that outside," he says, "I don't."
Emotions have always played a big role in Coach Kühbauer's career, but he admits that he has changed. He no longer shows his emotions as much, especially not on the outside. "I have always tried to be as honest as possible," he says. "But then you have an image, and that I will not change for the rest of my life, regardless of whether I am now a completely different person than I was ten years ago."
Coach Kühbauer's public image might be that of an "Enfant Terrible," but he assures that this is not an accurate representation of who he is. "Those who know me and have worked with me know exactly who I am," he says. "Publicly, I've always been the 'Enfant Terrible,' although I haven't been that for years."
Coach Kühbauer is the WAC coach now, and he has no plans of looking elsewhere. "I let my performances speak for themselves," he says. "I can't control anything else."
As for the WAC-Hartberg final, Coach Kühbauer is focused on Thursday's game. He is not thinking about the potential impact on European Cup tickets just yet. And if they do win the double, he is not quite sure what he would do. "I really can't think of anything," he says. "That would be out of this world!" He plans to focus on Thursday's game first and then on the game against Rapid on Sunday.
Recent developments in WAC basketball:- Tarleton State lost WAC Freshman of the Year Keitenn Bristow to Alabama via transfer.- Grand Canyon's women's basketball team won the WAC tournament in 2024-25 before Molly Miller departed for Arizona State.
However, it is unclear whether the WAC title race in this article refers to basketball or another sport, as the specifics of the title race do not align with standard WAC conference formats. Further context or clarification is needed to understand the exact nature of the title race being discussed.
The WAC coach, Coach Kühbauer, remains unfazed by the general opinion, as they are still fighting for titles at the end of the 2024/25 season, regardless of Austria and Sturm being the frequent favorites. The upcoming WAC-Hartberg final is the focus for Coach Kühbauer, who is putting all energy into Thursday's game before looking ahead to the game against Rapid on Sunday. In basketball, recent events like Keitenn Bristow leaving Tarleton State for Alabama and Molly Miller departing Grand Canyon's women's team for Arizona State have taken place. The title race's subject in the article might be basketball, but it could also be a different sport, as the details provided don't align with conventional WAC conference formats, requiring further context or clarification.
