2023-10-22 03:14:01
Red Bull Salzburg is a bit out of step in the Bundesliga. After the deserved 0-1 (0-1) home defeat against LASK on Saturday, Salzburg are not in first place at halftime of the regular season for the first time since the Bundesliga reform in 2018. Gerhard Struber’s team has to quickly put their modest performance behind them, as pre-season finalists Inter Milan are waiting in the Champions League on Tuesday.
LASK was the dominant team from the first minute and, thanks to Robert Zulj’s goal (34th), gained a lot of self-confidence for their own international task, which takes Linz to Saint-Gilloise in Belgium in the Europa League on Thursday.
While LASK knew how to convince, Salzburg only managed one good scoring chance per half. Far too little for their needs. “From the very first moment we let ourselves have the edge. We let the steering wheel be taken out of our hands more and more, we were always in reaction mode, not behind the wheel,” said Struber.
But the coach also lacked the will to avert defeat. “We have to show a different face in order to turn games in our direction in the end. Today we lacked the fire to stand up to ourselves in the typical moments where there is a battle of attrition. The difference between accepting things with 100 percent or with 95 percent, the gap was visible,” criticized Struber, who could definitely understand the whistles to say goodbye. “If you don’t bring the basics onto the pitch, you might get whistles. We contributed a lot to that.”
Salzburg are now four points behind league leaders Sturm Graz, 23 points after eleven rounds are the weakest result since the reform five years ago. And for the first time in nine years, the Bulls suffered two home league defeats in a row. “You saw today that everything in the Bundesliga has become a bit tighter. You can’t afford to perform at this level. We have to make sure we find the socket that gives us real power again ” said Struber.
This is necessary on Tuesday if Salzburg wants to survive against Inter in Milan. “We all have to question a performance like that and still look forward to the game that’s coming. This is the Champions League, it’s something very special,” explained Struber and demanded: “We have to show a different face. We have to remember ourselves “What makes us strong. It has to do with high levels of aggression and intensity, and we have to prove that. Then it will be possible to annoy our opponents in Milan too.”
The mood at LASK is completely different. The Linzers made the best use of the international break to prepare for the hit and implemented their plans really well. “Against Salzburg you have to defend well together, that starts at the front. We put a lot of pressure on the opponent, that made the team fantastic,” said Thomas Sageder, who emphasized the “uncanny team spirit” during the training week.
The captain ensured that the courageous performance brought three points. Zulj scored with a well-placed finish and was full of praise for the team afterwards. “If you let Salzburg play, it will be difficult. We attacked high, had to run a lot, had to suffer a lot, but it’s worth it at the end of the day. Teams come here, they stand at the back and hope for the good Lord “But that’s not our approach,” explained the winning goalscorer. “We have three players at the back who played incredibly, two running machines in front of us, monsters on the outside, so it was difficult for Salzburg,” enthused Zulj.
Now it’s time to show the consistency that Zulj has been missing a bit over the course of the season so far. With success in Belgium, Linz can get back into the promotion race in the Europa League. “This is the kind of game where we see that we are so advanced that we can put a performance like that on the pitch again three or four days later,” he said.
In any case, Sageder is sure that the convincing victory in Salzburg will have a big impact on the team. “I hope and am convinced that the team believes that we will continue to develop in terms of sport, otherwise you won’t be able to beat Salzburg. We have shown that we are on the right track. But we can’t buy anything from that on Thursday. “
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