Final spurt of the test phase

Fiala: “Complaining is forbidden in Ried!”

Willi Eza will miss Ried for a few weeks due to injury

(Bild: GEPA pictures/ Walter Luger)

The grueling preparation is (almost) over, things will soon get serious again with the ÖFB Cup. The president has defined the title as the ultimate goal, now the team has to step up its game. And the sporting management is challenging the Innviertel pros on and off the pitch. 

Two days before the final test against Debreceni (18), Ried sporting director Wolfgang Fiala sums up the preparations with satisfaction: "We are on schedule and have made good progress after the upheaval following relegation." His coaching staff demanded a lot: "The players had to do a lot on the pitch and in team building. Complaining was forbidden. And we saw how they reacted in extreme situations."

Fiala does not see the fact that president Thomas Gahleitner has set the goal of regaining promotion and has decidedly described the squad as ready for the Bundesliga as a rucksack: "That's even a compliment for us, because we reduced the player budget by 1.5 million euros after relegation."

Sollbauer as the key to success

The sporting director expects a lot from the new players. "Sollbauer is a top reinforcement with his experience. It also helped that he knows coach Max Senft well from Barnsley and FAC. Otherwise it would have been difficult to bring in a professional of this quality." This also applies to attackers Saliou Sané and David Berger: "With his physicality, Sané is a striker that we haven't had before. Berger is highly talented and will certainly help us."

Next step is promotion

Last season, the Innviertel club scored 59 points - 61 were enough for BW Linz to be promoted to the Bundesliga in 2023. Fiala: "We were unlucky that GAK played incredibly consistently in terms of results. But as runners-up, we scored the most goals and conceded the fewest. We want to take the next step." The only thing left is promotion.