2023-06-25 13:25:14
Rapid started preparing for the upcoming football season on Sunday. In the course of the now final opening of the new training center at the Happel Stadium, the Hütteldorfer team completed a public training session in front of numerous fans, and the new home jersey was also presented. In the future you will be presented in green with white pinstripes, with the new outfit it should run better than last – at least that’s what Vienna’s sports councilor Peter Hacker wants.
The politician demanded the championship title with a wink, those responsible for Rapid kept the ball flatter. For example, Managing Director Sport Markuskatzer said: “It’s no use saying we want to be champions next year or attack third place.” Rapid finished fourth last season behind Red Bull Salzburg, Sturm Graz and LASK. “We want to close the gap to the top clubs. It’s honest, professional and serious to make such a statement. Anything else is a suicide mission,” explainedkatzer.
Rapid have so far signed the free transfers Fally Mayulu from Blau Weiß Linz and Dennis Kaygin from the Mainz U19 team, as well as Nenad Cvetkovic from FC Ashdod for a reported €700,000. Another newcomer should be announced in the coming days – Katzener left open whether it was Stefan Schwab. However, not too many new professionals are to be expected from Hütteldorf. “I have general conditions in which I can move,” said the head of sport and admitted: “A few months ago I assumed that the general conditions were different. But I have no problem with that.”
The Green-Whites are increasingly relying on their own offspring. Five youngsters, including Nikolas Sattlberger, Nicolas Bajlicz and Jovan Zivkovic, are training with the squad until further notice. Katzener explained that they wanted to build in a lot of youngsters around a framework consisting of established kickers and asked for patience in this regard. Don’t expect miracles. “You have to be honest with people. Sometimes the truth hurts, but in the end it’s better that way.”
Coach Zoran Barisic made a similar statement. “There are clubs where the money is looser. We have a different philosophy. This road is rockier, harder and may take time, but it’s the best.” Accordingly, the coach held back with announcements to the competition. “We want to be in the top six, get as far as possible in the Cup and reach the next round in the European Cup. But I don’t want to name specific results, especially not externally.”
After all, Barisic revealed that the “toughest preparation of all time” is waiting for his kickers. “It won’t be a walk in the park,” predicted the 53-year-old. “We have a lot to do. We want to improve in all areas and one area will definitely be the physical component.” Barisic also announced that he would be working on different systems in the coming weeks.
The Viennese expects further arrivals and departures in this transfer period. Mayulu and Kaygin were brought in as perspective players from the three newcomers. “We expect Cvetkovic to work as soon as possible.” According to Barisic, Leo Querfeld, a possible partner of the Serb in central defence, still needs a week or two before he can start full team training, but Maximilian Hofmann should be resilient again.
Christopher Dibon moves from the pros to the second team. The 32-year-old will act as a kind of extension of coach Stefan Kulovits for the young Rapidlers who have been relegated from the second division to the Eastern Division. The ex-ÖFB international is only used when there is really a need, otherwise the youngsters should be able to play minutes.
The second Rapid team will no longer play their home games in the Allianz Stadium, but on one of the two new training grounds that were officially opened on Sunday. Both fields have undersoil heating, one field was financed by the city of Vienna. The pros now practice exclusively on these fields near the functional building and no longer on the pitch directly next to the Happel Stadium. The new training center, which costs about ten million euros, has a total of six grass and three artificial turf pitches.
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