Wolfsberger AC have been a mainstay in the Austrian Bundesliga ever since earning promotion by winning the 2. Liga title in 2012.
This was the first promotion to the top flight in the clubs 81-year history and the biggest honour the club had ever won.
Until this year, that is, as they claimed the ÖFB-Cup, Austrias equivalent of the FA Cup and Copa del Rey, by beating TSV Hartberg 1-0 in the final last month.
With just two league games remaining in the Austrian Bundesliga championship round, the club known as WAC for short is just six points away from adding to that triumph with a league title and completing a historic and remarkable domestic double.
The tough task of beating both of the remaining sides left in the title picture in Austria Wien (home) and reigning champions Sturm Graz (away) stands in their way from an unlikely championship.
But as the only unbeaten team in the championship round after eight rounds and on the high of tasting success in the cup, they will fancy their chances of doing the improbable with the pressure firmly off their shoulders, European qualification and that cup title already in their bag.
This tactical analysis will examine WACs late-season form and how Dietmar Kühbauers men have reached the point of being just two wins away from a league and cup double.
Wolfsberger Formations & Tactics
When Kühbauer arrived last summer to replace the outgoing Manfred Schmidt as manager, he tried to employ his preferred 4-2-3-1 scheme at the beginning of the season.
This setup is common worldwide, but particularly so in the German-speaking nations of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
However, WAC is a club that was historically built to play mostly with a three—or five-man defensive line.
Following a bumpy start with five losses in the first 12 rounds, Kühbauer decided to revert to what the team knows best.
Since then, Wolfsberger have gone from strength to strength, with just two losses in the last six months and going unbeaten en route to their cup triumph and championship round in the league as of this writing.
All while playing some of the most fluent and productive football in their recent history.
Since hes largely abandoned his preferred base structure, hes mostly mixed it up between playing a 3-4-3 and a 3-4-1-2, depending on the opponent and circumstances, whether he goes with one centre-forward or two, with another partnering up front.
Despite having to change his initial approach at the start of the campaign, Kühbauer is known for his tactical flexibility, as he was during his time at Rapid Wien a few years back.
This helped him adapt to the per
